The Hand
by littlebabyturtlelove
Summary: Arinna and Nicole's life just got super weird with the new addition of two baby turtles to their family. And apparently, they aren't the only two joining. The craziness that happens just might be the end of them. AN OC STORY! Anyone can join! Basically my gift to you amazing readers to add any OC character you want! Read bottom of first chapter for a quick note.LETS HAVE SOME FUN!
1. Chapter 1

**ATTENTION EVERYONE! IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT. **

**I wanna say this is kind of an AU story... sort of... kind of. Yeah **

**I'm not sure how to explain what kind of story this is, but I will try my best. This is a story FOR THE REVIEWERS! When I say this, I mean that you guys will be the ones deciding what happens in this story :D At least to as far as I am able to do XD**

**This is a THANK YOU STORY for all my reviewers and viewers for all your support and kind words throughout the year! Seriously guys, thank you so much. **

**SO, I'm giving you guys this story. You can do any of the three things. **

**1)****Send me a character that you want to add into this story**

**2)****During any chapter you can send me a message on what you want to happen with your character, or perhaps even with other characters. Interactions, events, all that. XD**

**3)****ENJOY THE CHAPTERS Or just not read this story. This is an OC story after all, and some of you guys don't like OC stories. Which is okay, I can understand why you wouldn't like those. But this story is really just for you guys :D**

**OH! And another important thing.**

**DON"T MIND THE TITLE! I know the title sounds weird, and it might not make sense right now, but it'll make sense in future chapters, I promise.**

**I shall also take any ideas you have, or at least, I will try to. I wanna try and make this story realistic to a certain point, so try not to give me too crazy of ideas. **

**Examples would be: ….Suddenly an alien with the power to control minds crashed through the wall possessing Nicole and having her stab Arinna with a spoon until she bleed out gummy bears…. **

**Stuff like that XD Though that does sound kind of funny. **

**Anyway, here we go!**

Nicole was 20 years old and had a mission.

….A crazy, strange, and out of this world mission, but she wouldn't change her mind about what she was doing. She wouldn't regret it either.

She just thought it was weird. Why her? Why was she placed in this kind of situation? It was usually Arinna who got involved in weird phenomenons.

…And that is actually what happened. Arinna got involved in some weird stuff and just dragged Nicole along for the ride. That is how things have always gone in their friendship.

Nicole wasn't joking with this. When Arinna got involved, the ride known as their friendship was like a never ending roller coaster that is only made up of loops, scary dark tunnels, flashing cameras, and questionably stable support beams that creaked and screeched, but never seemed to break.

So Nicole wasn't really surprised when Arinna suddenly banged against her door at 3 A.M in the morning. Stumbling out of bed and to the door, Nicole swung it open with a grunt.

"Huh?" she grumbled, squinting at her unwanted guests.

"Nicole!' As soon as the door was open, Arinna called out her name. Realizing she was standing in an apartment complex and had practically screamed it, Arinna shrunk, took a quick glance around, and tried again. "Nicole." she said in a voice so quiet, she almost couldn't hear. There was a panic nervousness in her voice that Nicole hadn't heard for a long time.

"…What?" she asked hesitantly, afraid to know the answer.  
"You're my best friend. I can… I can trust you with anything, right?" Arinna shifted her weight on her heels, switching her gaze from Nicole to her feet nervously. It wasn't often that Nicole saw her friend so distressed and worried.

"Yeah Arinna. Of course you can." Nicole stepped out of her apartment and into the hall. "What's troubling ya?"

"You… you can't tell anyone, okay? I mean it Nicole, this is super serious." Arinna stammered out. "You can't even tell your parents or brother!"

"Arinna." Nicole said.

"I mean it! Not a soul!" Arinna was glaring at Nicole, her nose scrunched and her lips slightly puckered.

…It was more of an angry pout than a glare, Nicole decided.

"Okay." She held her hands up. "I promise not to tell anyone."

"Scouts honor?"  
"I was never a good girl scout."

Arinna huffed. "Then I'm leaving. I'll handle this one my own-"

"Wait-" Nicole grabbed her arm. "I'm kidding. I swear on my whole career and on my parent's eventual grave not to tell anyone." Nicole didn't know what exactly she was promising too. Most likely something strange that will cause her a lot of trouble and maybe even put her in danger.

That happened sometimes when Arinna made you promise something.

But she would make the promise anyway. Arinna was her best friend after all. They made a pact when they were younger while playing in the mud that they would always have each other's backs, even if they were miles away from each other. They were mud Sisters. (Yes, that is a thing)

It was actually the main reason Nicole stayed here in New York; too look after Arinna. With no family, the recent lost of her older brother and with her basically living on the streets, Nicole swore to help Arinna as much as she could. And as much as Arinna would allow.

She had offered to let Arinna stay with her, but she didn't want to cause her trouble. So Arinna refused, saying she could figure out her own problems. She said she was fine with the life of a hobo.

Though who is ever completely okay with the life of a Hobo?

Arinna was nodding to herself, as if second guessing her decision to come her. She took another glance around. "So um… okay, this is gonna sound strange."

"I have no doubt."

"I was on the other side of town, going through trash cans-"

"Gross."

"When I heard something moving… in the trash can."

"Probably a Cat."

"When I moved the trash bags-"

"That is really unsanitary-"

"Stop interrupting!" Arinna snapped, throwing her hands down in anger. Nicole quickly held her hands up in surrender.

"Sorry, go on."

"….When I moved the trash bags I found something. Something kind of weird."

"Well it is the trash. Who knows what people throw out now a days?"

"Exactly what I was thinking." Arinna was nodding her head. "So I thought I would take a peek but… then they started to cry."

Okay, that was weird. "It started… to cry." Nicole repeated the words slowly. "Wait did you say _They? They started to cry?"_

"Yeah." She nodded. "Like um… babies. And, y'know, that really freaked me out, cause I thought it was a baby. And I mean, who in the world is cruel enough to put some babies in the trash, right?"  
"…Right." Nicole nodded numbly. "But they weren't babies, right?"

Arinna hesitated. "Kind of?"  
"What do you mean kind of?"

"It is exactly what I mean. They are babies, but they aren't babies all the same." She was waving her arms around frantically. "And that is why I am here, because I couldn't just leave them there, so I brought them with me and now I don't know what to do!"

"You brought them with you-?!" Nicole held up a finger. "Wait, I should have known you would do something like that. Just tell me one thing, was exactly _is it _that you brought here_?" _

Arinna stood there for a few seconds, chewing on her bottom lip. Taking a step backwards, away from the apartment door, Arinna shuffled to a plant that was pushed into the corner of the hallway. Reaching behind the plant, where she had apparently hid something, Arinna pulled out a box.

"…This." She announced

"A box?"

"No, they are inside the box."

"Well, open the box."

"I can't do it out here. Someone might come by." Arinna hissed, taking another sweep of the perimeter. "Can we go into your apartment?"  
"You want me to let you and whatever weird little thing you have inside that box into my home?"

"Yes." She looked pale. "And they aren't a _thing. _They are babies."

"You just said they were only kind of like babies." Nicole was starting to freak out, her voice getting high and squeaky.

"I did, and they are." She nodded.

"…Well whatever. I don't see the harm in that. So long as they doesn't eat my Oreo's that I stored in the fridge, sure thing." Nicole shrugged, motioning for Arinna to enter. Arinna gave her an odd look.

"You put your Oreos in the fridge?"

"Are you seriously questioning that when you just told me you were digging through someone else's trash can like 5 minutes ago?" Nicole folded her arms.

"Touché." Arinna nodded curtly, shuffling into the apartment. Sighing, Nicole followed, closing the door behind her.

"Okay, so what is the big secret Arinna? Did you find puppies or something?"  
"Close in size… I guess." She shrugged, gently placing the box down on the coffee table. Sitting on the couch, she inched a little closer to the box, motioning for her friend to sit down.

Hesitant, Nicole did as asked and sat on the other side of the coffee table. "Okay so… what?"

Arinna gave her a long look before reaching for the box. "Promise not to freak out?"  
"I can't keep a promise I am unsure I can keep."

"Then why did you promise not to tell a anyone about what I am about to show you." She yanked her hand back, as if the box burned her.

"Because I know I can keep that promise." Nicole glared at her. That seemed to surprise the younger adult, and her shoulders relaxed.  
"Oh…" she smiled, reaching for the box again. "Okay, just try not to scream or anything like I did."

"You screamed?" Now Nicole definitely felt worried.  
"It was more of a surprised yelp I suppose." Arinna shrugged, tugging open the edges of the box to reveal the contents inside. Nicole didn't know what to say. What could she say? This was beyond anything she had ever seen.

Seriously, was she suppose to scream, faint, or just stare at… _them_? What even were they?

"Uh... um… okay so… Yeah no, I don't know what I am looking at." Nicole leaned forward a bit, resting her chin against her hand.

"I figured you wouldn't. They are babies." Arinna let out a shaky sigh.

"Dude, those aren't babies. Babies aren't green." Nicole pointed to the box. Inside, placed in the middle of several blankets, were two small green infants. Though, being green apparently wasn't strange enough, because they also had shells. Like, turtle shells.

Were they turtles?

She wasn't even sure! They just sat their, blinking up at her and wiggling around.

"They are babies." Arinna insisted. "Baby turtles."

"Aren't baby Turtles like… this big?" Nicole showed the size with her palm, in fact, baby Turtles usually weren't suppose to be bigger than her palm.

"You would think, but no." Arinna ran her hand through her hair. "These babies though… they were in the dumpster. And one of them was crying and looking at me… He was so scared Nicole, and he was looking at me like I was the only one in the whole entire world that could help him! And I just… Nicole I don't know what to do." She stammered.

"And how did you think I could help?" Nicole was dumbstruck. What could she do for some weird turtle/human baby?

"I-I dunno I just… I didn't know what else to do." Arinna's voice cracked. "He was crying and he looked hurt so… I just… I dunno."

Nicole closed her mouth. Looking to the babies, she blinked a few times. "Arinna I just can't…" she paused, raising her gaze to her friend. "Hurt?"  
"Well, I think so. It is his legs." Arinna nodded numbly.

All weirdness aside, if these were babies, and one of them was hurt, they had to get it some help. "One of them is hurt?"

Arinna nodded. "The little one."

"Show me."

Arinna almost jumped out of seat, bring the box a little closer. "H-Here." She stuttered, pointing inside to the two babies. They both had yellow eyes and dark green skin, however one of them was much smaller than the others. Arinna had pointed to the smallest baby, to the child's knees and lower legs. Moving around the coffee table, Nicole took the box from her distressed friend and placed it on her lab. Looming over the opening, she peeked into the little turtle babes.

The little one was staring at her, his hands, which definitely were more like a human's than a turtles, were rolled up into tiny fists and resting next to his head. He blinked at her, titling his head curiously. (The Bigger one on the other had was just laying there, struggling to stay awake. Must've been tired.)

Anyway, the little one didn't seem to be in pain, but Nicole assumed that Arinna had moved the blankets enough so the baby's legs were completely surrounded and protected. Moving a few of the covers Nicole reached out to run her finger's over the leg muscles.

They weren't as large or as strong as his arms. Carefully grabbing the baby's ankles, she lifted his legs up. The baby didn't seem to feel pain from the action and only opened and closed his little mouth. Even if he didn't feel pain though, Nicole could tell something was wrong.

Her two years at medical school was enough experience to know. "He isn't injured." She announced.

"He isn't?" Arinna let out a sigh of relief.

"His leg muscles are just very weak right now. Muscle weakness. Kind of like… Muscular Dystrophy." She announced

"Muscular what?" her friends eyes doubled in size, pooling with concern. "Is it… bad?"

"I'm not saying it is Muscular Dystrophy, but it has similar traits to it." Nicole explained quickly. "It just means his muscles are weak, most likely from either lack of protein or a birth defect. Or maybe… it is from whatever caused him to be like this." She motioned to him.

Arinna nodded her head, looking to the large baby. "What about him? Is… Is he okay?"

Nicole shrugged, looking back into the box. The bigger one, now that she was looking, seemed much healthier than the other. He was large, darker skinned, and overall seemed like a healthy little guy. No problems that she could tell.

Then again, she wasn't exactly a vet, so how could she be 100 percent sure?

"I don't see any problems." Nicole admitted. "I'm not a vet though."

Arinna let out a sigh of relief. "That is good. So… you agree with me then that these two aren't like normal turtles or babies?"

"Of course." Nicole snorted at the obvious question. "I wanna say this is some form of mutation."

"Mutation?"  
"Yeah, haven't you seen the mutants movies? They are like Godzilla, but much cuter."  
"Nicole." Arinna narrowed her eyes.

"Sorry, little joke. But I'm serious, this has got to be some sort of weird mutation. Like a uh, a mix between turtle and human DNA!"

"How is that possible?" Arinna looked into the box. The little baby inside with the leg problems instantly looked to her, smiling. She smiled back.

"I dunno, you're the one who found them. As I said, who knows what you will find in the trash now a days."

"It is a good thing I found them when I did." Arinna admitted, reaching into the box. She seemed hesitant, but carefully grabbed the blankets around the little baby, wrapped her fingers around his shell and lifted him up. Careful with his legs, she wrapped him up in a bundle and cradled him in her arms. Nicole had seen Mother's hold their children like that all the time. "A few minutes after I pulled him out of the dumpster, the garbage truck arrived and dumped the whole thing. They would have crushed both of them and wouldn't have even known they were in there."

"Jeez." Nicole's throat felt dry. "They are really lucky babies then to have a Hobo like you around."

Arinna stuck her tongue out at her friend, chuckling. "Yeah, but now I don't know what to do with them."

"You could always give him to a Zoo." Nicole shrugged, looking back inside the box at the large baby. She hadn't even realized he was staring at her. "…" she stuck her tongue at him, and almost bit her tongue when he stuck his tongue right back out at her. "Dude, this baby is cheeky." She gasped.

Arinna rolled her eyes. "They aren't normal Turtles though." she disagreed, suddenly growing protective over the babe she was hold and wrapped her arms around him a little tighter. "They are curious and… And I think they have the intelligence of a normal human baby."

Nicole blinked. "What? Like… you think they'll grow like a normal human?"

Arinna didn't answer immediately, but slowly nodded. "Maybe."

"That's insane Arinna." Nicole looked back down at the baby in the box.

"What else am I suppose to say then Nicole." Arinna snapped, flinching when the baby in her arms began to fuss. "Oh, no. Sorry, so sorry." She quickly apologized, patting his back soothingly.

Nicole watched the scene quietly. Arinna was always a softie, unable to leave anyone or anything behind. With a heavy sigh, she nodded her head. "Okay, I see what you mean. And if we bring them to any where else they might just dissect them to see what in the world happened to make them they way they are."

Arinna looked utterly horrified. "Exactly why I came to you!"  
"Don't yell." Nicole hushed her. "We'll figure something out. For now, you and the… little guys, can stay here tonight."

"Are you sure about that?" she looked surprised.

"Not really." Nicole admitted. "But why not? I'm too tired to think up some amazing plan anyway. It is better we sleep on it."

"…Yeah. I guess you are right." Arinna agreed, smiling down at the little bundle in her arms. Nicole smiled back, freezing when the baby still in the box held his arms up towards her.

"… Arinna, it is doing something." She pointed down into the box.

"He wants you to pick him up." Arinna explained.

"Pick him up?" Nicole looked horrified. The baby suddenly began to squeak, opening and closing his palms at her. "Eck."

"Don't say _eck. _He likes you." Arinna narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Just pick him up like you would any baby."

"I've never held a baby before." Nicole disagreed, looking awkward and unsure.

"You have too. You held your little brother all the time when he was a baby." Arinna disagreed.  
"My little brother didn't have a shell."

"Big difference. Just pick him up before he starts to cry." Arinna ordered.

"No way-" just as Nicole began to protest, the baby in the box began to sniffle. "Ah. No. No no no, don't you dare." She pointed to the baby, flinching when tears began to pool in his eyes.

"Nicole…" Arinna growled. "Making a baby cry makes you the biggest jerk in the world."

"That is totally unfair." Nicole huffed. "I don't mean to make him cry- Oh come on, don't cry." Nicole frowned when the baby began to hiccup and sniffle. Rubbing at his eyes with his little fist, and he opened his mouth to let out a wail. "Ah! Okay! Okay!" quickly reaching into the box, Nicole wrapped her fingers around the baby's shell.

Lifting him up, she paused, allowing the baby to hover in the air. He had stopped crying instantly and stared up at her.

"…" Nicole slowly brought the baby closer, resting him against her arms, yet trying to hold him away as far as possible. "Hmmm." She looked distressed. "Arinna, I dunno what to do."  
"Just hold him, that is all he wants." Arinna rolled her eyes.

"How are you so sure about that?" Nicole scoffed.

"Women's intuition."

"I'm a Women and I feel no intuition that is telling me this." Nicole sighed, bringing the babe a little closer. His mouth was open a bit and he looked up at her with wide eyes.

"…La." He made a little noise, giving Nicole a toothless smile.

Nicole had never felt her heart melt that fast with just one little smile. "Oh my gosh, he is cute." Her eyes doubled in size.

Arinna giggled. "Aren't they? And they were squeaking and making little noises the whole time I was coming over her." She explained.

"Cute."

"…We should name them." Arinna insisted with a smile, suddenly completely loving the idea of keeping these two little babies.

"Name them?" Nicole gawked at her. "Arinna you know what happens when you name things. You grow attached!"

"What is wrong with growing attached to this two little cuties?" Arinna cooed, pressing her cheeks to the baby in her arms. The baby cooed right back at her.

"A lot of things Arinna. You can't keep them."

Arinna frowned at her friend. "Why not?"

Nicole opened her mouth, but found she couldn't answer. "I…" she sighed.

"There is nothing wrong with keeping these two." Arinna huffed, making her point clear. She had no intention of giving these two up. If they were in the trash that meant someone had thrown them away, and that wasn't okay! These two were sweet little babies who had done nothing wrong! "I'm keeping them. And you know what, I'm going to name this little guy right now." Rising to her feet, Arinna began to pace the room, looking down at the little baby for inspiration on what to name him. "Hmm. What to name you?"

"Turtle baby number one." Nicole offered with a sigh, knowing there was no way she would be able to convince her friend against this idea. How in the world were they suppose to take care of these two? Did you feed them baby food or turtle food? What if they got sick? There are so many things that could go wrong that neither of them could prepare for! And the piece to resistance for Arinna's plan… is that they would be raising these two. They would become parents in one night.

Nicole wasn't sure she could do that. She never thought of herself as an amazing role model, and she didn't have any idea on how to be a Mother…

"John?" Arinna asked, cutting into her thoughts.

"You aren't naming him John." Nicole shook her head in agreement.

"Phil?"

"No." Nicole sighed again. "…Call him Crippled Turtle."

"Nicole!" Arinna huffed. "I will never call him that, that is rude."

"I'm just saying, that is literally the only way I can tell these two little guys apart anyway." She shrugged, looking down at the turtle within her own arms.

"One is bigger and one is smaller, that is how you should tell them apart, not that one is crippled and one isn't." Arinna shook her head. Turning around, she started to pace again. "I'm giving this little guy a good name." she insisted.

"Fine, fine." Nicole leaned back into the couch, staring down at the turtle in her arms. He was staring up at her, pulling slightly on her shirt, as if he liked the feel on the cloth on his finger tips. She was wearing a super soft Pajama shirt. Y'know, the ones that are super fluffy.

"Oh! I know! Sebastiano!" Arinna declared.

"Seba-what?" Nicole looked over her shoulder at her friend. "What kind of name is that?"

"Y'know, like the Renaissance Artist. Sebastiano Del Piombo." She began to explain. "Vincent…" she frowned at the mention of her older brother. "Vincent always loved Sebastiano's work. My Mom even had a picture when I was younger of a portrait he drew. The Dorotea."

"What was that one again?" Nicole frowned.

"The picture of that girl. We always had it in the living room."

"Oh yeah." Nicole nodded, remembering her many visits to Arinna's old house. "That picture actually always freaked me out. It was like that women was staring into your soul."

'Nicole." Arinna chuckled.

"It is true!"

Arinna laughed, gently bouncing the newly name Sebastiano in her arms. "Do you like your name Sebastiano?" she inquired. The baby just stared at her.

"That is still a really weird name. Why not just call him… Sebastian or something? Or… Seba for short?"

"Nicole-"

"Or Tiano?"

"That sounds like a girls name." Arinna snorted.

"Bastiano?"

"No."

"Sebas."

"It is Sebastiano, Nicole. I'll even compromise, you can call him Sebastian for short."

Nicole let out a sigh. "Okay, fine… What should we name this one?" she looked down to the baby in her arms.

Arinna frowned, titling her head. "Well, maybe you should name him?"  
"Bartholemew." She instantly answered.

"…No." Arinna shook her head.

"That isn't fair. You got to name Sebas-that one." She pointed to Sebastiano.

"Yeah, but I also wanted to name him John and Phil, and you said no to those two, so no." Arinna stuck out her tongue.

"Gregory."

"See, you acted like the names I was saying were weird, but yours are just as weird." Arinna pointed to her.

"Gregory and Bartholemew are not weird." Nicole scoffed, sounding insulted.

"Neither are John and Phil."

"No, those names are weird. I knew a John and a Phil, and both of them were weirdos." Nicole whispered, as if she needed to keep this info on the down low.

"That doesn't mean every John and Phil are weirdos Nicole." Arinna sat down on the couch, placing Sebastiano in her lap. Sebastiano in response clapped his hands a few times. Shocked when doing so made a clapping noise, he jumped, looking around wildly. Hesitant, he did it again, looking very pleased with himself. Arinna chuckled at the sight.

"….I dunno then.' Nicole admitted.

"You could go for a renaissance kind of name like I did." Arinna offered.

"I don't know many Renaissance artists." Nicole sighed.

"Well there is… Leonardo, Giovanni, Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello… Uh… Nicola." Arinna began to list them off.

"I could name him Nicola, after me." Nicole cackled.

"He is a guy." Arinna sighed.

"Nicola was a guy too… I think…" Nicole looked confused. "What other names do you got?"

"Altichiero-"

"Too long and hard to remember."

"Lorenzo. Brunelleschi-"

"Ugh, no." Nicole shook her head.

"Giovanni, Filippino, Paolo, Hubert-" Nicole snickered at the name, motioning for Arinna to continue. "…Rogier, Jean, Hugo, Hieronymus-"

"Picasso." Nicole suddenly announced.

"What?" Arinna looked surprised.

"I suddenly just remembered that name. Picasso." She announced. "I remember looking at some artwork drawn by him back in middle school. I like his name."

Arinna seemed to be thinking the name over herself and nodded. "I like it too." She smiled. "So there is Sebastiano, and Picasso. The two little turtle babies."  
"The strange little turtle babies." Nicole corrected, poking Picasso's tummy. The baby squealed in shock, grabbing her hand. Nicole snorted. "…Dude. Are we seriously doing this?"

"Doing what?"  
"Keeping these guys?"

Arinna blinked a few times. "…Can we?"

"That isn't the question Arinna. I said, are we?"  
"I dunno, are you saying we can?"

Nicole let out a large sigh. "I guess."

"Then yes, we are." Arinna grinned. "I've grown attached."

"I told you that would happen if you named them." Nicole shook her head.

"I can't help it. They need me." Arinna smiled softly.

"…Yeah, I guess." Nicole shrugged, poking Picasso's forehead. "You know this is crazy though, right? And I'm not good at taking care of kids."

"Well, it is a good thing I am. And yeah… I'm aware it sounds a little crazy." The two friends laughed.

**Ending Author's notes:**

**PICASSO Belongs to BlackHooded001**

**SEBASTIANO/SEBASTIAN belongs to EpicThunder101**

**Nicole and Arinna belong to Me**

**ALRIGHT! Here we are people! The start of a strange story with random nonsense and hopefully some sense XD There is also one other OC character currently in this story that just hasn't been introduced. His name is GIOTTO. **

**So if you have an OC character you want to add named GIOTTO, I may not be able to accept him just because we already have one. I'll take any other characters though :D**

REMINDER, THIS IS AN OC STORY SO… A LOT OF OC'S.

I'll try to introduce OC's from this point on one at a time though, so we don't get confused.


	2. Questions and rules

HEY GUYS!

Okay, so to start off, this isn't a chapter. This is just a quick Author's note explaining what exactly is happening in this story. Basically some rules if you want to send me an OC to add to the story.

Rule 1: For right now, I ask that you only send me one OC. Just for right now, because adding too many OC's all at once can get kind of crazy XD And I can only remember so many people all at once.

Rule 2: They can be Mutant, humans, or aliens. I'll accept them all. Also they can be any age.

Rule 3: This is actually a sad rule, but it has to be done for my main idea for this story. The boys (leo, Don, Mikey and Raph) Will technically not be in this story for a long time. A LONG TIME. So if you have an Oc that has something to do with them (Example: Raphael's wife or kid or whatever) (I use this because someone brought this up XD) I may not be able to use them. At least not for a super long time.

Rule 4: As I said in rule 3 the boys wont be involved for a while, as will Splinter. However, if you want to add an already existing character, just let me know. What I mean by this, is something like this... EXAMPLE (say I'm a reviewer): Can you add a baby April into the story? Like maybe Arinna runs into Kirby and his wife before she goes missing and they have little baby April with them? (something like that XD)

Rule 5: Now, you can give me all the back story you want on your character, but you have to remember, I may not be able to get to all of the backstory you give me. Like you might give me a character that, i dunno, is a princess or something from a foreign land that had super human strength and is being chased by evil government people. I will try to add in as much as that as possible, but I may not be able to do all of it, just a warning.

EXTRA INFO:

This takes place in the 2012 universe

This will be a large family

Nicole and Arinna may or not leave the city and move to the country side in a few chapters to raise the little turtle babies in peace and without worry XD

**IF YOU HAVE A CHARACTER, EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY SENT ME A MESSAGE ON THEM, PLEASE FILL THIS OUT. Either through review or send me a message. I prefer messages, but if you are a guest and can't, that is okay :)**

**Characters name:**

**Characters age:**

**Characters Gender:**

**Character's appearance;**

**Character's Personality/traits:**

**How they would interact with mutants/humans/Arinna and Nicole:**

**Some Backstory: **

**Anything else you want to tell me about them: **

**How, if you have an idea, do you want me to bring them into the story? Or I can just make something up, either way works: **

**...Has your character ever thought of being an assassin?: **

**Who would they get along better with; Arinna or Nicole?:**


	3. Braces, Carts, Ninjas and Cameras

**WHOOP! Sorry for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes!**

How had things gotten so bad so fast? Nicole didn't even know how to answer that.

If she had to write everything down, she would start with waking up that morning.

It was early, the sun barely peeking out from behind the buildings and through Nicole's window.

It was like every normal day, and for a few moments, she actually began to believe that her Best friend bringing home two mutant turtles was just a dream… till something hit her on the face.

Scrunching up her nose, she grunted as something hit her nose again. Opening her eyes, she grumbled. She was on her couch, laying flat on her best with something resting against her chest. "Ow." She huffed when something hit her nose again.

Squinting down towards her stomach, all she could see were large yellow eyes staring at her.

"…" she blinked, and they blinked back. She wanted to scream, or sit up and send the creature off of her, but the nights events flooded back to her in the last minute. It was Picasso.

Since she had no where to put him she just let him sleep on her stomach all night. That little guy was out like a light as soon as she settled him down.

"Oh." She rubbed her eyes. "It is just you."

He cooed at her, rising to his feet to crawl up her chest and curl up next to her neck and shoulder like a cat would. Glancing at him, she sighed. "Morning to you too.' She patted his head. "I'm assuming you sleep well." With a yawn, she glanced around the room. If she remember correctly, she had offered Arinna her bed last night, meaning that Sebastian was also in there with her.

She hummed in thought.

So… she slept on it like she told Arinna she would. Keep the Turtles?

Well, she was sure Arinna would do that regardless if she agreed or not, so she supposed she had no choice but to go along.

"Hey Picasso-" she glanced at the little baby. He was currently staring at her hair in awe. Since he was next to her neck, it kept getting in his face, so he would open his mouth and try to bite down on it. "No. No." Nicole quickly sat up. "My hair isn't food." She grumbled. The baby looked up at her in confusion, a deep frown sketched across his face. "You hungry or something?"

He didn't reply and wiggled his toes.

"Yes?"

"…Gah…"

"Yes." Nicole nodded, rising to her feet. Placing Picasso awkwardly in one of her arms, unsure if she was holding him correctly, she moved into her kitchen. "Hey Arinna!' she called. "Breakfast!"

A snort echoed from her room followed by a confused grown. "Huh? Wha- AH!" then there was a small silence. "Oh yeah! Hello Sebastian!" Arinna coed seconds before exiting Nicole's bedroom with Sebastian in her grip. "Good Morning Nicole." She beamed.  
"Yeah, morning." Nicole gave her a smile in return. "So um… how exactly do you hold this guy again?" Nicole held Picasso out. Arinna almost screamed.

"Definitely not like that!" she wailed.

Nicole blinked. Not like this? But she was holding him by his waste and all that- oh… she was holding him upside down. "Whoops." She flinched, placing him on the table. Picasso on the other hand only blinked at her, as if he didn't care if he was thrown, held upside down, or punted like a foot ball.

Nicole would never punt him like a football.  
"Honestly." Arinna sighed, placing a hand on Picasso's head to make sure he was okay. "You really have no experience with babies do you?"

"None that I can really remember." Nicole sighed. "Sorry Picasso." She apologized. The baby smiled at her, giggling.

The two older women chuckled. "So…" Arinna glanced back at Nicole. "Have you decided?"

"About keeping the kids?"

"Yeah."

Nicole turned back to the fridge to grab some milk. "…Well, I guess we can." She shrugged. "But if we are going to do this, we need to do some research. I don't know how to care of babies… or Turtle babies."  
Arinna nodded in agreement, looking down at little Sebastian. "Yeah, I'm a little unsure of that too." She agreed.

"Right. So we need some sort of plan and supplies."

"Like Baby supplies?"

"Well, I'm sure we could get baby supplies at any store." Arinna offered. "But… I'm kind of broke."  
'Which means I am paying. You need to get a job." Nicole sniffed.  
"Yeah… working on it." Her friend shrugged sheepishly.

"Okay so a quick game plan!" Nicole declared. "You stay here and watch Pica and Seba while I got to the store to get some supplies… and I'll stop buy the library to get some information." She nodded to herself.

"…Pica and Seba?" Arinna frowned. "Really?"

"What?" Nicole held out her arms. "Those are cute nicknames!"

Arinna sighed, nodding her head. "Well yeah. But I think since they are boys they would want cooler nicknames... like Casso or and Bastion... or something like that."

"Whatever." Nicole looked at Sebastian, who was frowning. "Hey, what is wrong with him?"

Realizing Nicole meant Sebastian, Arinna looked down to the little baby. Frowning, she titled her head. "I dunno. Maybe he is grumpy?" Sebastian shifted in her arms, whimpering. "O-Or hungry?" Suddenly, Sebastian began to sniffle, tears pooling in his eyes.  
"Oh jeez! He's crying." Nicole panicked.

"I can see that." Arinna began to pet his back, holding him close. "There there. Don't cry. Don't cry." Sebastian let out a wail… as if he was in pain.

The two almost jumped out of their skin. "Shut him up!" Nicole hissed, knowing her neighbors might be able to hear.

"I'm trying! Shhh. Shhh. There there darling, it is alright. No need to cry." Sebastain began to twist and turn in her grip, and to prevent from dropping him she placed him on the table with Picasso, who stared at them with wide eyes. Scanning over the child, Arinna fumbled for an answer. "I-I don't know what is-" she trailed off, looking to his legs.

Was it perhaps... his legs?

Nicole seemed to get the same idea as Arinna and gently placed her hand on his legs. Massaging them gently, she ran her fingers over the muscles, feeling for any sign on injury. "I bet it is his legs." Nicole muttered. "Arinna, go into my bathroom and get the first aid kit that is under the sink."

Looking horrified, Arinna quickly scurried into the bathroom to retrieve the first aid kit. When she did, she opened it up and held it to Nicole. Reaching in blindly, keeping her focus on Sebastian, Nicole lifted out some bandages. "Get me those spoons." She pointed to the two wooden spoons that were hanging above her stove.

Confused, Arinna grabbed them and handed them to her. Taking them into her palms, Nicole placed them together and broke then in half.

"Nicole? What are you doing?" Arinna inquired as Nicole broke off the rounded part of the spoon and began to tape over the splintered ends of the sticks.

"I think the problem is that his bones aren't staying straight." She began to explain as she placed 2 parts of the sticks to each of his legs. Using them as splints, she wrapped the bandages around Sebastian's legs, using them as a sort of wooden **Braces.**(Note, this is the Title of the Story that features Sebastian if you want to go check it out)

Arinna stared curiously from over Nicole's shoulder. "Will those help?"  
"They should." Nicole chuckled. "Though they aren't the best they'll have to do till I can make him something batter." Tying a secure knot, she examined her work and nodded. "There, he is done!" she lifted him up and held him out to Arinna.

Bending down a bit to look at Sebastian, Arinna beamed to find Sebastian wiggling his fingers, staring at his new looking leg gear. Reaching down he patted his legs, squeaking as if he was trying to figure out what exactly they had done to him.

He didn't even remember he was in pain a few minutes beforehand.  
"Oh Nicole, thank you!" Arinna grinned, taking Sebastian back into her arms.

"No problem Arinna-"

**BAAM! BAAM!**

Hearing a loud banking from her door, Nicole jumped. Realizing someone was at the door, froze. She recognized that knocking instantly. It was… _her. _

She had exactly 10.3 seconds to open the door before an unwanted house guest would come barging in.

"Quick hide in the closet!" Nicole whispered in a hush tone, pushing Picasso into Arinna's arm and shoving them into the nearest closet. "Don't make a sound!"

"Nicole wha-?!" Arinna couldn't even get out her sentence before the door was slammed in her face. Nodding to herself, Nicole scrambled for her front door, grabbing the door handle just as another booming knock sounded.

"Yes?" Nicole put on her best smile as she opened the door. On the other side, a dark shadow edged at the doorway, glaring inside.

"Nicole." They hissed.  
"…Oh. Hello Agatha." Nicole gulped. This was Agatha Handel… the owner and manager of Nicole's apartment building. She was 39 year old women that wore heavy boots every single day, dark brown hair, and green eyes that could pierce into your very soul if you weren't careful.

Agatha could sense something was wrong with her building from miles away. Usually Nicole thought that was very comforting, knowing she would be safe at night. However, now she was hiding two baby turtles and a Hobo in her house.

…She was scared.

Nicole once heard a rumor that her neighbor had made too much noise one night from having his buddy over, and Agatha completely crashed through the door, yelling at them to quiet down before she cut out their tongues.

Granted, the rumors in this place got a little crazy and over exaggerated, but it was true that Agatha had some how gotten into that apartment that night. Poor John always looks pale now whenever Agatha comes by.

"Hello Nicole." Agatha smiled. "I'm sorry to bother you so early in the morning, but I received a phone call from one of your neighbors down the hall complaining about how there was a large ruckus coming from your apartment." Agatha glanced over Nicole's shoulder to peek inside, a suspicious glint appearing in her green eyes for a moment.

Nicole straightened. "Noise? Well, that is odd. I was asleep all night last night." She glanced down the hall. _Curse you Ms. Flay and your super human ears_!

"Oh, how strange. So everything is alright then?" Agatha inquired.

"Yup. Yup." Nicole nodded some more. "Just same old me in here. I might have left the Tv on last night if that helps at all. I'm a really heavy sleeper."

"Oh, well that must have been it." The older women nodded. "Have a nice morning Nicole." She turned to leave. "There are cookies down stairs if you would like some."

"Thank you Agatha. I might just take you up on that offer later." Nicole waved, stepping back into her apartment and closing the door. Keeping her hand on the door handle, Nicole kept still, listening for any sign that Agatha was still standing outside her door.

_She was a fool to think things would go so smoothly. Agatha was like some sort of frigging CIA agent! That women knew when anything was even slightly off with this building! if she was going to survive, she would need to be as sneaky as a Ninja. Or an assassins... assassins sound cooler. _

Suddenly, she could hear the sound of fading foot prints and sighed with relief. Quickly locking the door, she flew open the puffed out her cheeks with a huff.  
"What in the world was that?" she demanded.

"Sorry, that was the owner." Nicole shrunk. "She's got ears like a hawk, I didn't want to take any chances. Plus, if she came in here, I wanted to make sure you three were already hiding."  
"Why would we have to hide from her?" Arinna's eyes widened.  
"Well, I don't know how she would react to mutant turtle babies. Plus, though it has never been proven, I think she is some sort of ex FBI agent or something. Or CIA, I don't really know the differences between the two.

"FBI?" Arinna almost scoffed. "Seriously?"  
"I'm not kidding! That women can be a monster sometimes."

With a roll of her eyes, Arinna placed Picasso and Sebastian on the floor to play. "Well, your FBI owner aside, I think we should get the boys food."

Nicole glanced at the clock, nodding. "Yeah, that would probably be best. If I leave now I should be back in 30 or 40 minutes. Think you can handle them on your own for that long?"

"Yeah. I mean… how hard can it be?"

"Very hard."  
"No, it would be very hard for you. I know how to handle children." Arinna correctly.

"Rude, but true." She grabbed her bag. "Okay, then I am heading off. You know my cell, so use my house phone to get in contact with me if something happens."  
"I will."

-00030 minutes later000-

The trip to the library had been oddly enough quick and easy. Nicole had literally run through the whole place grabbing every baby and turtle book she could get her hands on. The total of books had run up to around 25. She practically had to bribe the librarian to let her check out that many books.

She now had to make over 2 cakes and 5 dozen cupcakes by next Saturday for some sort of get together. Great… Nicole was terrible at cooking, and yet she owned a Bakery. It was an odd little thing to do, but it was always a dream of hers.

Again though, she can't cook to save her life. So she hired some help to help get the cooking done. She had actually hired this women who only needed an extra little cash.

Her name was Vanessa Thompson. She was this Fashion designer or whatever as well, but because she had recently had a little girl named Alexis she needed some extra money or something. Nicole didn't mind, as long as she got the job done.

It was actually Vanessa right now who was watching over the store while she was out doing all this shopping.

She'd be lost without that beautiful angel! Though she could definitely do less with Vanessa bringing her crazy baby with her to work. Alexis was cute… but man that kid stared at her like she wanted to eat her! It freaked Nicole out!

…Or maybe it was just because Nicole was terrible with babies? She wasn't sure.

Anyway, since Nicole no longer had to worry about her shop, at least for now, she could focus on getting supplies.

She dreaded her trip to the store however. She was terrible at buying groceries, even just for herself. She never knew what she would need and would get distracted by things she didn't.

She had to stay focused though, she needed baby supplies and food. She hated every minutes of it.

Nicole sighed heavily as she marched through the store, pushing a cart in front of her. She had told Arinna she was going shopping for the turtles but… seriously, what in the world was she doing?

Why was she going to such lengths for two weirdo turtles? Sure, she didn't mind helping them, but she had no reason to. Arinna even asking her might not have been enough.

She didn't know how to explain it.

When she had left this morning to get supplies she had felt so excited to go get stuff for Sebastian and Picasso, but now that she was here… she wasn't sure what to even get!  
"Why is everything so flipping expensive?!" Nicole demanded quietly as she sped through the aisle, scanning over the baby supplies. She wasn't going to buy them cloths because she knew they would probably never fit, but maybe she could at least get some cloth to sew them some socks or something?

They definitely needed diapers though. Grabbing to large bags she tossed them into the cart. They would also need bottles, blankets, maybe a binky or two, and some toys. Like hell- or um, Shell, (hehe) she going to let those two tots mess with anything in her apartment.

Grabbing some milk and eggs, she placed them in the cart and continued threw the store. She paused as she passed by a children's fairy tale. Plucking it off the shelf she opened in and skimmed over the words. Would the boys like it?  
It was about a the turtle who raced the rabbit, so they probably would. It like, was about a turtle so, probably.

She had never actually read the book… did the Turtle win? Yeah, they would be happy if the turtle ended up winning… right?

Yeah.

Tossing it into the cart she shrugged and pushed on. Above, the song 'Cotton Eye Joe' began to play. Confused at the odd set list this store had, Nicole turned the corner, grunting when her cart ran straight into another.

"Oh!" she gasped. "Sorry about that. I didn't even see you there-" she trailed off as a pink sweater and Afro came into view. Her eyes widened in horror. "_You!"_

The person she ran into looked up in surprise, pushing up his bulky circular glasses. "Wha- NICOL!" None other than Baxter Stockman, her old HighSchool enemy, squeaked. Growling, Nicole pulled her cart back, slamming it back into his to ram the handle into his gut. He gagged, stumbling back a bit. "Good heavens! Do you have any idea who I am!?" he huffed.

"Nerd Stickman."

"It is _Baxter Stockman!" _he growled. "You know this! You've known it for years!"

"Whatever Stickman, get out of my way. I got some serious business to attend to." Nicole hit his cart with her own again.

Scrambling to hold his cart steady, he scowled. "What sort of stupid business is so important-" he glanced inside her cart. "Baby supplies?" he looked horrified. "Holy Mackerel, please tell me you aren't bearing children." He glanced towards her stomach.

"UGH!" Nicole leapt back, covering her stomach. "No way, idiot!"

"Then why-?"

"That isn't any of your business!" she yelled, she kicked his cart over.

"Hey!"

Hissing like a cat, Nicole grabbed her cart and rushed out of the isle, quick to escape anyone else from witnessing the sight. Sprinting to the other side of store, Nicole huffed a few times, turning into the cereal isle. Stockman would never follow her down here. Too much sugar gave him hives.

To think that she would see him here though. She must have been having the worse luck ever. Good thing Arinna hadn't come with her. If she was, who knows what would have happened. Even if Arinna hadn't realized it in High School, Stockman was head over heels for her.

Seriously, Arinna had to be completely blind of love to not see those little hearts in Stockman's eyes every time she walked towards him. It was kind of gross.

"Well-" Grabbing a box of cereal since she was there, she moved to the check out. She basically had most of everything she needed, and the rest was at home. So it was probably best just to head back. She didn't want to leave Arinna alone for too long.

So, to be safe, she scurried through the self check out, ran out the door, and headed straight home. As she moved, she pulled out her phone, calling her house phone.

Seconds later Arinna picked up, sounding hesitant. "…_Hello?"_

"Get out the Swag-muffins and Yolo-Rolls Arinna, I'm coming back with some food, research and presents for the kids!" Nicole cackled into her phone.

Arinna laughed on the other end. "_That's great Arinna. The boys are really starting to get fussy here. They are starving."_

_"_Just feed them some worms or something. Or some berries! I got some berries in the fridge. I know turtles can eat berries."  
_"Berries? Well, alright. I'll see you soon." _

"Kay, bye." Nicole said as she crossed the street towards her motorcycle. Hopping in, she revved up the engine and sped down the road.

-000-

Stepping into the apartment building lobby, Nicole dropped to her knees just before she reached the front desk. Sensing Agatha on the other side, Nicole carefully crawled in front of the desk, keeping as low to the ground as possible.

How in the world was she going to explain to Agatha that she suddenly needed baby supplies? Yeah, no, she was going to avoid that, and hopefully get past her unseen.

_Careful… careful…_

Hiding behind a plant, Nicole pulled out a stick she had grabbed on the way in here. Waiting till Agatha looked away, she extended out the stick, using it to press the elevator door button.

Glad that the elevator buzzer was currently not working, meaning there would be no little bell to signify its arrival, Nicole rolled into the room, pushed up against the side, and jabbed her thumb a billion times on the 'Close' button.

She had barely closed the door before Agatha turned her head towards her direction.

_Victory! _

Feeling like a friggin' ninja, Nicole wiggled her hips in an odd victory dance, pumping her fist. Slamming her finger into the button that said '3' she cackled, her laughter slowly dying away into a sigh. _All this trouble for some turtles, she must have been just as crazy as Arinna. _

Kicking her door a few times, Nicole grinned when Arinna cautiously opened it, peeking out. "Hey." She grinned.  
"Nicole." Arinna threw open the door with a smile. "Welcome back. Did you get everything?"

"Sure thing." She held up the bags with a smug look of triumph. "But seriously, you gotta get a job so next time, you're paying. This stuff is ridiculously expensive!"

"Really?" Arinna took a few of the bags. "At least the books are free."

"Yeah, but we gotta return them. Always a downer." Nicole sighed.

"That is how the library work."

"Things should just be for free."  
"That isn't how the world works." Her friend giggled.  
"Ugh!" Nicole huffed. Opening the door a little wider with her foot, Nicole stepped in and placed them on the side of the hall, near her shoes. Turning to close the door, she jumped when Arinna let out a cry.  
"Nicole! Watch out! Picasso is making a run for it!"  
"Huh- AH!" Nicole yelped when Picasso crawled between her legs and out her door like a speeding bullet. For a baby, he was speedy!

"No! Picasso! Come back!" Nicole scrambled after the turtle tot as he dashed out of the apartment. Diving out of the room, Nicole grabbed the little guy, rolling into the wall, holding him close to her chest. "No." she whispered angrily.

He blinked up at her curiously, unsure of what just happened. He began to wiggle though, looking upset. "Ah, yeah no. I'm not letting you run off." Nicole narrowed her eyes. "I just spent hundreds of dollars getting you baby stuff! You are terrible at being grateful-"

_SNAP_

Nicole's whole body shifted, going rigid at the sound of a clicking noise. What was that?!

As she turned her head to investigate, the color in her face began to drain downward. On the other side, a women stood with a camera held firmly in her grip.

It was her neighbor, Michelle. She was a videographer/photographer who worked for a newspaper company down the street.

…And she had just taken a picture that would ruin everything.

"M… Michelle." Nicole stammered quietly, stumbling to her feet.

The 20 year old women blinked a few times, a look of shock frozen on her gentle features. Crystal blue eyes stared at Nicole, unsure of what to say or do.

In fact, neither of them knew what to do. They both just kind of stood there, staring at each other, waiting to see what the other one would do.

Arinna was the one to break the silence when she peeked her head out of the door. "Hey Nicole did you catch Picas- Oh-no…" she trailed off as she followed Nicole's gaze, her eyes locking in on Michelle. "…Oh gosh…" Arinna grew pale.

"N-Nicole…" Michelle motioned to Picasso with a shaky finger. "What is t-that?" she whispered, her voice thick with her England accent.

Nicole gulped, and she looked to Arinna. Handing Picasso to her, she turned back around to Michelle. "Michelle… give me the camera."

Michelle took a step back, her black hair falling in front of her face.

"Michelle… seriously…" Nicole opened and closed her palm. She stepped forward, cursing when Michelle whipped around and fled down the hall.

"Nicole!" Arinna screamed when Nicole booked it after her. "What are you doing?!"  
"I need to get that camera back!" Nicole called over her shoulder. "Don't worry! I got this! Michelle! You get back here!"

Michelle let out a screech as she slammed into the emergency fire escape stairs and shot down them. Right on her tail, Nicole hurtled over the steps. "Michelle I swear when I get my hands on you you're gonna wish you never moved here from England!"

"AH-" Michelle barely got out another cry before Nicole tackled and wrestled her to the floor.

"GIVE ME THE CAMERA!" She just knew making that promise to Arinna last night was going to bring nothing but trouble.

**Wahoo! New chapter. Man, it is kind of hard adding people's OC into this story from time to time…. BUT I'm LOVING THE RESULTS! XD Thank you all for sending me in your characters, you are all beautiful people! **

**Oh and a quick note, Michelle belongs to Dark Nightwatcher while Agatha belongs to Aerissee. Hasste, and Alexis/Vanessa belong to Runpup14. **

**WAHOO!**

**….Yeah, Nicole had a long day. Hopefully Michelle doesn't blow the whole secret XD That would be bad. **


	4. Nicole's gonna buy you a Michelle

**Hey people! I'm back! Okay, sorry it took so long to get this out. I'm trying to make each chapter longer :D **

Nicole was starting to loose track of everything that has been happening in her life. She wasn't sure who she should feel crossed with, who to be happy with, or what exactly to say to the next person she sees.

So she sat in her room with a journal in her lap and a pencil in her hands. Next to her the small Turtle known as Picasso was pressed to her side, his small fingers wrapped around her shirt as he quietly snored. Sebastian would be in here as well, however whenever he seemed to be pulled away from Arinna, he would cry.

To avoid causing any ruckus, Arinna and him slept on the couch wrapped snuggly in a blanket.

Absentmindedly patting Picasso's head, Nicole began to scribble down some thoughts. Perhaps if she wrote everything down, things would start to make sense? She wrote about when Arinna knocked on her door all the way to when she tackled her neighbor Michelle down the stairs. Her side still stung from when she crashed it into the cement floor.

Speaking of Michelle, she had been returned safely to her room after several long hours of discussing what exactly was happening. Nicole could still remember it word for word.

0000-_5 hours earlier 7:30 P.M_-0000

"MMGMGMMHMGMG!"

Placing a hand to her ear, Nicole leaned down towards the girl she had tied up and thrown in the corner of her room. "I'm sorry Michelle, what was that? I can't exactly hear you."

"MFFHGH!" Michelle shrieked through the duct tape tied around her mouth.

"Nicole." Arinna who has been sitting on the bed quietly with the two Babies sighed. "Really?"

"I'm not gonna take off that duct tape until I'm positive you wont tell." Nicole huffed stubbornly. Michelle gave her a dirty look, pulling wildly at the ropes covering her arms and legs.

"Nicole." Her friend tried again. "Are you sure this is the right way to go about this?"  
"Trust me Arinna, this must be done. You don't want her running to the police and telling them, do you?"

"Well… No." Arinna hugged Picasso and Sebastian a little closer to her chest, not wishing to part with them… or get arrested for assaulting and kidnapping a pedestrian.

"Right, so we have to do this." Nicole concluded. "Are you ready to talk calmly Michelle?"

"Hh-mmm! Hmm!" the girl screamed.

"Right, didn't think so." Nicole narrowed her eyes. "We'll just have to _take you out." _She growled.

"MMMMMMHMMHMHMH!" Michelle began to scream through the duct tape, not wanting to be killed.  
"Nicole!" Arinna wailed! "We aren't killing her!"  
"I didn't say anything about killing her, I said we would take her out!" Nicole huffed.

"That means killing!" Arinna stepped between Michelle and her.

Nicole folded her arms, "As in we should take her out of the apartment complex or something just incase someone hears her."

Both Arinna and Michelle blinked a few times, looking at each other. "…Oh." They nodded, though Michelle sounded muffled.

Rolling her eyes at the two, Nicole moved to the table where she had placed Michelle's Camera. "You know Michelle, I should smash this thing." She grumbled, picture up the device. "You shouldn't be taking pictures of people without permission, it is rude."

Michelle's eyes widened as Nicole twirled the device in her hands, examining each angle of it. Shaking her head, Michelle called out a muffled cry, pleading with Nicole not to break her Camera. Glancing at her, Nicole smiled.  
"Relax, I wont break it. I'm just looking." Turning it on, she began to browse through the pictures. "I'll just have to erase the ones you took of Picasso and me."

"Yeah." Arinna nodded.

Plopping down on her bed, Nicole glanced form Michelle to her pictures of the city, people, landscape- good gosh these were good. "Man girl, these look amazing. Even the one with Picasso and me. I might actually just keep these."

"Really?" Arinna looked over her shoulder, just as awed. "Wow, those are good."

"Yeah. I mean look at this one of the city. That is breath taking." Nicole pointed to the screen. Across the room, Michelle blushed a bit at the compliments, lowering her head. Wait, no, she was mad at them, she couldn't let flattery get the best of her!

"Mmh!"

"Yeah yeah, calm down." Nicole didn't even look at her as she waved off Michelle's yell. "I'm just looking. Oh look at this."

"Nice." Arinna smiled.

"And then this one. Oh and this one-" Nicole paused as she moved to the next picture, and odd sight coming onto the screen. "Uh…. What in the world is that?"

"Is that… an alien space ship?" Arinna's eyes doubled in size.

"What in the world?! Michelle?!" Nicole jumped to her feet and held up the camera. "Why do you have pictures of Alien Spaceships?" the pictures was odd to say the least with just the weird Taco sign in it, but then you add the circular and slightly pink alien ship floating over it, then you've got some issues.

Michelle jumped, blinking a few times. She began to speak, but her words were incoherent. "Mmnn hmm sndnsn nhhhn nmn."

"…" Nicole looked back at the Camera. "You've seen these Space Ships for a while all over the city? That is crazy."  
"…You understood what she just said?" Arinna looked confused.

"You didn't?"  
"Of course not, she has duct tape on her mouth." Arinna grumbled, sitting down with Picasso and Sebastian on her lap. The two little babies cooed as they messed around with the buttons on Arinna's shirt.

"So are they really aliens?" Nicole asked to Michelle, who shrugged. "Why didn't you go to anyone about this?"

Michelle blinked a few times then looked at Sebastian and Picasso, as if they were her answers. "Mgm shdhs."  
"What the heck does daft mean?" Nicole frowned.

"What?" Arinna was confused.

"Oh Michelle said, _"Don't be daft, I have no intentions of going to the Police with this." _

_"_Oh, daft means crazy, odd… mad." Arinna explained.

"Oh…Yeah, I guess I haven't gone to anyone about those two baby Turtles either, so I have no right to judge why you didn't about aliens. Then again though, I doubt anyone would believe you about them- WAIT A MINUTE!" Nicole jabbed an accusing finger at Michelle. "I'm not mad or crazy! And how are you so calm about all of this?! You took a picture of friggin' aliens girl!"

Michelle blinked a few times, shrugging again.

"Nicole, stop yelling. You can't be mad at her about being calm with all of this." Arinna sighed.  
"I can too."  
"You were pretty calm when I brought Sebastian and Picasso with me into your house."

"… Not true. I was freaking out on the inside."  
"Maybe that is what Michelle is doing too." Her friend smirked.

"…Curse you Arinna and your logic." Placing the camera down, Nicole shuffled across the room to Michelle. Kneeling down next to her, she hesitantly reached for the duct tape. "…" Frowning, as if she was unsure, Nicole reluctantly ripped the duct tape off of Michelle's lips.  
"Ow!" she yelped.

"Oh, sorry."

Frowning, Michelle looked up to her captures. "So…" she cleared her throat. "What are you going to do with me exactly?" she said cautiously.

"Nothing." Arinna said quickly. "We just want you to hear us out and let us explain."

"I believe I have the basic idea of what is going on here. You found two Baby Turtles, which is strange, and are now raising them. At least, that is what I have come to believe." Michelle announced, her voice thick with a British accent.

"….Ugh." Nicole turned away, wiggling her fingers.  
"…" Arinna frowned at her friend. "What?"

"I love British accents." Nicole explained simply. "Michelle, keep talking." She waved to her neighbor. Surprised, Michelle titled her head.

"Uh… Oh. Very well. What exactly would you like me to say?"

"Anything, just let me hear your accent."  
'Nicole." She frowned.  
"C'mon. Please?"

"I struggle to see how this is relevant to the topic we are on-"

"Hehehe." Nicole clapped. "Gosh I love it. I wish I had a British accent."

Michelle sighed. "Okay. Back to the point at hand. What am I going to have to do to be released?"

"It is simple, swear never to tell about what you have seen here tonight."

Arinna nodded. "We don't want you to say anything to anybody about these two." She motioned to Sebastian and Picasso, who she had placed on the ground to let them crawl around a bit.

Watching them stumble in front of her, Michelle nodded slowly. "…Is that it?"

"Pretty much." The other two nodded.

"Very well then. I promise not reveal anything." She bowed her head. Looking satisfied, happy things seemed to be going well, Arinna reached to untie the ropes surrounded Michelle.  
"Wait-" Nicole stopped her by grabbing her wrist. "How do we know you'll keep your word?"

"…" Michelle frowned, unsure of how to answer.

"Ah-ha. We can't trust ya." Nicole huffed, her point made. Lowering her gaze, Michelle sighed.

"I suppose you have a point." She agreed. "You have no reason to trust me other than my word. That is what I am giving you however; my word. I will not reveal anything about these Turtles or the fact that they are here."

The two friends looked at each other, narrowing their eyes. Turning away in a quiet team huddle, they began to whisper. "Can we trust her?" Arinna's eyes were wide.

"I'm not sure." Nicole shrugged. "I don't really know her too well. She only recently moved in."

Arinna nodded. "I think she is being honest."  
"Maybe."  
"…So what do we do?"

"Untie her, for now." Nicole said. Turning back around, Michelle straightened when they stood over her. Kneeling down, Nicole grabbed the end of the rope and untied it. With a few good tugs, the whole thing fell loose and Michelle was free. "Okay Michelle, we're giving you a chance here. Don't mess it up."

"Highly noted." Michelle rubbed her wrists. "I apologize for all the trouble." She said bashfully. "I never intended to cause any harm. Being a photographer, sometimes I feel as though my hands have minds of their own on what sort of pictures I take."

"Well, there is no harm done." Arinna nodded. "Well, kind of. I apologize for Nicole tackling you down the stairs."

"I'm not. It was fair." Her friend replied curtly.

"Though unpleasant." Michelle mumbled. "It is okay though, I understand why you did what you did." Michelle almost jumped out of her skin when one of the baby turtles, Picasso, suddenly appeared next to her.

With a weary expression, Michelle watched as Picasso approached a little closer. Keeping perfectly still, she was quiet as Picasso circled her once before placing a little hand on her knee and slowly crawling up into her lap. Plopping down, as if he owned the new location placement, he wiggled his toes.

"I think he likes you." Nicole chuckled.  
"Oh well…" Michelle smiled shyly. "I wouldn't say I am very good with children."

"Agreed. It is okay." Reaching out her hand, Nicole gave Michelle a nervous smile of her own. "…So, are we cool? No hard feelings?"

"None what so ever." Michelle took a hold on her hand, giving it a firm shake.

**BAAM! BAAM!**

The three girls jumped at the sound of sharp and precise knocking at the front door.

"Agatha." Michelle and Nicole said in unison, knowing the sound of that knocking anywhere.

"Why do both of you sound so worried whenever Agatha's name comes up?" Arinna sighed.

"Because she could skin us alive if she wanted. Shh." Nicole whispered harshly. "Quick, get in the closet in case she decides to snoop around."

"Oh." Arinna scoffed. "Nonsense. Ms. Agatha can not be that bad."  
"….Well, she isn't She is actually super sweet and always gives us cookies." Nicole shrugged.

"Why would she want to snoop around?" Arinna inquired over her shoulder as her friend herded the babies and her into the closet.

"Cause she is a creepy Ex Spy or whatever that can slice your head clean off your body if she thinks something is wrong or that you are hiding something from her." Nicole answered simply.

"You're over exaggerating."

"It's true." Michelle suddenly piped in.

"Wha-" Arinna's eyes widened just as Nicole slammed the door in her face.

"Okay, you stay over here." Nicole said to Michelle. "I got this."  
"I faintly remember you screaming that to Arinna before you tackled me down the stairs." Michelle said bluntly.

"…Michelle I am _this close, _to throwing your sorry butt out the window."

"You are the one who insisted on kidnapping me."

"_Michelle."_

In rebuttal, Michelle held her hands up in surrender, and moved to the corner of the room. Snorting at her, Nicole nodded and quickly shuffled down the hall.

Honestly, Nicole was seriously starting to reconsider keeping these two little babies. The hassle of everything that came with them was too frustrating for Nicole to keep her cool.

Pausing to check her reflection in the mirror, she nodded and swung open the door.

Turning at the sound of the door, Agatha smiled. "Good evening Nicole." she mused.

"Good Evening Agatha." Nicole placed her best smile on her face. "How can I help you? You don't usually come around at this time of night. I thought you already went off to bed."

"Ah yes, I do, but I had something I need to take care of it. It was something that involves you." Agatha's smile never left. It was as if it was plastered into her very being.

"…Okay?"

"First off, I am very sorry to bother you so late in the night but… I have a question for you."  
Nicole blinked a few times. "Uh…" her heart began to race and she grew nervous. "W-What kind of question?" she struggled not to stammer.

"Well, this is going to sound strange, but I was going over the surveillance cameras within the building when I witnessed something… odd." All the warmth in Agatha's smile suddenly vanished.

"What sort of… odd?" Nicole whispered, already knowing the answer. It was like when you break your Mother's favorite vase and run away before she can tell it was you, but she already knows. So when she comes to your room later, acting all sweet, you know it is just some sick trap to make you feel secure and accomplished that you got away with it before she suddenly holds up the broken vase and you get busted.

"The kind of odd where it shows you tackling your neighbor, _Michelle,_ down a stair case." Agatha's voice grew cold. "Mind explaining that?" she folded her arms, her eyes practically threatening to kill Nicole if she made the wrong move.

Yup, this was the Agatha everyone feared so highly. This women meant business.

Nicole could already see the two blades she kept hidden in her boots. Seriously, this women kept blades hidden away in her boots. She had them for emergencies… and to beat up people if she felt like it.

"Uh… Uh…" Nicole gulped. "Oh! _That." _She chewed on her thumb nail nervously. "That is actually a-a funny story. Haha."

"Really? I'd _love_ to hear it."

"Well um… you see… Michelle and I were just… we um… She…" Nicole shivered as sweat pooled down her neck. "I… we…" She was dead meat. No getting out of this one. Next thing you know the cops will come bursting in, guns a blazing!

"Agatha!" behind her, a hand was placed on Nicole's shoulder and she was pulled back. "It is so nice to see you!" The one and only Michelle suddenly stepped out from behind Nicole and out into the hall.

Shocked, both Nicole and Agatha stared at Michelle with wide eyes. "Michelle!"

"That is my name, yes." She smiled. "It is so strange to see you out in the halls at this hour. Is something wrong?" the pure innocence and confusion in Michelle's voice baffled Nicole to no end.

Agatha even seemed to be caught off guard for a few moments before she stammered back to her train of though. "I… I was just asking Nicole about why she tackled you down the stairs a few hours ago."

"Oh, that." Michelle began to giggled. "It was part of our game."

"Game.' Agatha repeated dryly.

"Yes. Nicole was showing me how to play America Football. Since I'm still getting use to the ways of this country I wanted to make sure I didn't mistake England Foot Ball for American Foot Ball."

"So to show you she tackled you down the stairs?"

"Yes." Michelle nodded. "We did not intend to go that far, however we got so into our rambunctious ways, we didn't even pay attention to where we were."

Agatha stared at the two, her eyes wide with disbelief. Glancing over Michelle's shoulder at Nicole, she narrowed her eyes. "Is this true?"

"…Yes." Nicole answered robotically, her mind still swirling around with too many thoughts to come back with any other remarks.

"Sorry about that Agatha." Michelle continued. "I am fine though, honestly. Nicole and me have just been goofing off like that for weeks. We start off just tossing a ball around, rough housing, and then Bob's your uncle, we're toppling down the stair case." She playfully bumped Nicole's arms. "Right?"

"Oh… right…" she nodded numbly.

Agatha stood there for a few minutes, looking the two girls over. "…So I have nothing to worry about?"  
"Not at all Ma'am." Michelle nodded.

Agatha nodded her head a few times, sighing. "Very well, but please, try to refrain from making so much noise… or tackling each other down the stairs?"

"Will do Ma'am." The two nodded.

The smile growing back onto her gentle features, Agatha chuckled. "Well, have a nice night girls." She turned and disappeared down the hall. Watching her, the two slowly closed the door, keeping their ears to the wood make sure she didn't come back. When they were sure she was gone, they jumped back.

"Girl! You're a genius! Agatha was totally giving me her, I'm gonna skin you alive, look!" Nicole grabbed Michelle's hand and dropped to her knees as if Michelle was an angel from above. "Never leave!"

Michelle laughed a few times, puling Nicole back to her feet. "I gave you my word, I will keep your secret."

Touched, Nicole sniffed. "Thanks…. Now I kind of feel super bad about tackling you down the stairs before."

"I told you before, that is water under the bridge."

"Still feel bad about it though." Nicole sighed. "But man, that was some quick thinking on your part. I never would have thought of using Football to trick Agatha like that."  
Michelle shrugged. "I suppose it is all in the job description of someone who works for the news. We all must stretch the truth a bit."

"… So you admit everything on the News is a lie?"

"I never said that."

"It kind of seemed like you meant that though."

"Those words never once exited my mouth."

"…." Nicole narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Very well. Arinna! You can come out now."  
Seconds later, Arinna scrambled out of the closet. "I hate hiding in the closet."

Both Nicole and Michelle chuckled at the sight of Arinna giving them a large pout as the boys tangled themselves around her, tugging and pulling on her cloths, wanting attention.

"I think the babies want to play." Michelle announced.

"Probably. I'm sure they hate being stuck in a small dark closet just like me." Arinna frowned down at them. "Right?" she cooed, giving Sebastian an Eskimo kiss.

Sebastian giggled at the gesture, touching his nose curiously. Reaching up, he touched Arinna's nose, giggling again.

Chuckling, Arinna turned to Picasso and gave him an Eskimo kiss as well. Shocked, Picasso blinked a few times, grabbing his nose. Squeezing it, he looked up at Arinna with wide eyes, unsure of what just happened. Leaning down, Arinna was going to give him another eskimo kiss, but Picasso covered his nose, thinking it was some sort of game.

"….Argh." Nicole growled at the scene, looking away. "Curse those babies and their cuteness!"

-_0000-10:20 PM-000-_

"Here you are." Arinna smiled as she handed Michelle a cup of hot Chocolate.

"Thank you." Michelle took the cup from her hands, gently blowing on it. "So, what is your plan now Nicole?" she inquired.

Taking a large chug of her own drink, Nicole sighed. "Like shell I know."  
"Shell?" the others frowned.

"Yeah, you know, turtle joke." Nicole motioned to the two sleeping tots they had placed in a mountain of pillows in the corner of the room. "Turtle, Shell. It is like hell but it isn't-"

"We get it." Arinna held up her hand to stop her. "Back to Michelle's question; What are we going to do Nicole?"  
"Hey, you are the ones who brought them here. Shouldn't you be making up the plan?"

Arinna frowned. "…If I had a plan I wouldn't have come to you in the first place."  
Nicole sighed. "Okay yeah, I see your point." She took another sip. "In all honesty, I have no clue on what we should do. This is my first experience with this kind of thing. I'm kind of just taking this one day at a time."

"I have often heard that is the best way to go about a situation." Michelle agreed.

"Right, so I say, we forget the plan and just wing it." Nicole concluded.

The two girls looked baffled. "Wing it? The whole thing?"

"Yes." With a nod, Nicole chugged the rest of her drink. "I mean, what is the use of coming up with a plan when we don't even know what to expect? I say we just be prepared for anything. Including Agatha sneaking into the apartment."

Arinna's eyes widened. "She'll sneak into the apartment?"

"If she has reason to suspect that something fishy is going on, yes." Michelle spoke up. 'As long as we act normal around her though and keep our voices down at night, we should have no worries."

"Agreed. I'll just have to call her tomorrow and tell her I'm having a friend stay for a while, so she won't get suspicious that you are living with me." Nicole nodded to Arinna. "And then… um… I dunno. We should really start reading those baby books. Sebastian starting hiccupping earlier and started to freak out cause he wasn't sure what it was, and I didn't know how to make them stop."

"What did you do when he started?" Michelle inquired curiously.

"Well, I picked him up and patted his shell a few times. After a while, they went away on their own." Arinna explained.

"Oh."

"Yeah, and then there is the whole ordeal with Sebastian's legs. We can't let him move around too much in their condition, yet he is a baby and has a short attention span… ugh." Nicole shook her head.

"I was wondering about that. Why does he have sticks wrapped around his legs?" Michelle frowned at the sleeping infant.

"The muscles in his legs are weak and they can't support him. Their very delicate, at least that is what Nicole says." Arinna frowned. Michelle looked at her neighbor, who nodded.

"Yeah. So I wrapped those around his legs to try and keep them straight so he doesn't hurt them. Even just crawling around on the floor is dangerous for him. His legs bruise easily."  
"The other one, Picasso was it? He seems rather healthy." Michelle noted.

"Yeah." Nicole smiled. "Good thing for that. Then again though, I'm not really a vet, so I don't know if he is completely okay. Bone and muscle wise though, he is doing fine. I dread the day those two get sick though."

"I am sure you'll be able to handle the situation." Michelle said with a gentle smile.

"…Perhaps."

-0000_Current time0000-_

Sighing, Nicole dropped her pen and journal onto her night stand and leaned back against the pillows. Michelle had gone home a few hours ago, but Nicole couldn't help but wonder if she would keep her word or not about their secret.

Would she tell? Would she make a huge report about it and let the whole city know?

Running her hand through her hair, she looked at Picasso. Reaching down she petted his head. He subconsciously leaned into the embrace, wrapping his tiny fingers around her hand to snuggle with it.

Nicole felt her heart melt at the sight. Okay, she admits it, she was really starting to grow attached to these little guys, even if they caused her a lot of trouble.

They were only babies too, it wasn't like they had a choice in what happened to them. They could only hope someone would be kind enough to let them grow until they could make that choice.

Nicole was willing to let them take their time till they could make that choice. She was willing to protect them… and perhaps even raise them.

Not as their Mother, heavens no, but family all the same. Arinna could take the Mother role if nothing else. She was good with kids and stuff anyway, unlike her.

She didn't know the difference between a children's story or an adult horror tale.

Scratching her head, Nicole turned off the light and rested her head to her pillow, patting Picasso's back. Hopefully this little guy could sleep through the whole night without waking up.

She heard from her own Mom that babies would often wake up in the middle of the night crying. Nicole really didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night, or take care of a sobbing infant… but if she had to, then that was that.

"Good Night Picasso." She mumbled as her eyes fell close. "Sweet dreams."

-000Next morning000-

"…Ugh…" Nicole grunted as something smacked her in the face. It wasn't a hard smack, but it annoyed her all the same. "What the-?" she grunted as she was smacked right between the eyes by a little hand. Forcing her eyes open, she blinked a few times as her vision blurred. When it cleared, she huffed to find that Picasso was sitting on her chest, openly hitting her face.

Seriously, he was just hitting her, and giggling every time he did it, as if it was some sort of game.

"Hey." She grumbled when he did it again. "What do you think you are doing?" He patted her nose, pinching it. "Ow." Reaching up, she snatched his hands up, moving them away from her face. "No hitting."  
He frowned, unsure of why she was suddenly angry. Sighing, she sat up, making the turtle roll onto her stomach. Titling his head up at her, he hopped off of her stomach to circle the bed. Every time he would reach the end of the bed, he would pause, realize there was a drop to get to the bottom, whimper, then move on, only to do the same thing on the other side of the bed.

"Sorry buddy, you can't get down without me helping you." Nicole yawned, rubbing at her eyes. She chuckled a bit when Picasso looked at her, shaking his bottom.

Ever since last night, Arinna had decided to place a diaper on the turtles, just in case there was an _accident. _

It was the strangest thing alive to see a baby turtle crawling around with a diaper on. And judging by home much he kept trying to shake it off, Picasso didn't exactly find it as amusing as her.

Reaching out, Nicole plucked the little baby up and rolled off the bed. "Come on. "she held him out to stare at his face. "Lets get you some food."

-000-Later-000-

"Hey Michelle." Nicole called, giving her neighbor's door a few good bangs. At first there was no response, and Nicole gulped.

Had Michelle snuck out early in the morning to reveal their secrets?

Suddenly, the door flung open and all Nicole's paranoia was tossed to the wind. "Oh." Michelle rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Good Morning Nicole." She greeted.

With a sigh, Nicole nodded. "Morning. Good to see that you are still here."

"Where else would I be?"

"Good question." Nicole stepped back. "So it's 10, just thought I would come check on you."  
"Already? How time flies." Michelle yawned. "Thank you for the wake up call."  
"Anytime." The two stared at each other. The awkward silence was unmistakable, but neither of them felt inclined to point it out. "So… bye?" Nicole turned.

"Oh yes… Good Bye…" Michelle trailed off, down casting her gaze. There was a tone in her voice Nicole had recognized a few times in Arinna. It was empty and at the same time, lonely.

Michelle lived alone, right? Plus, she had only recently migrated here from England so she probably didn't have many friends yet.

"….Hey Michelle!" Nicole called just as she began to close the door. Pausing, Michelle looked to her with wide blue eyes. "Wanna um… wanna join Arinna and me for some breakfast? I'm making waffles."

"Waffles…" Michelle rubbed her chin, considering the offer. "Well… yes." Her smiled spread across her face like wild fire. 'I would enjoy that very much! I-If… If you don't mind, of course." She blushed, suddenly growing timid.

"Pfft, not at all." She waved the girl in. "Get on in here."  
-0000-

"Do we sound strange to you Michelle?" Arinna inquired. Michelle lifted her head, not expecting the odd question.

"Hmm?"

"Do we sound strange to you?" Arinna repeated.

Holding Sebastian in her lap, Michelle titled her head. "I do not understand the question." She admitted quietly.

"Well, we don't have British accents, which is probably what you are use to. So to you, we probably are the ones with the accents. So do we sound strange to you?"

"Oh." Michelle nodded. "I see. I suppose so, yes."

Arinna clapped happily for an unknown reason. "So then, I technically have an accent right now, right? Like, an American accent or something?"

"I'm not sure if that is considered a thing."

"Actually, America has a lot of different types of accents all within the English language." Nicole piped. "I mean, just here in New York we've got some Boston accents."

"You two don't seem to have those though." Michelle pointed out. The two shrugged.

"We don't." they agreed in unison. The three left the conversation at that.

-0000-

"This is so awkward." Nicole grumbled as she placed a few dishes into the sink. Glancing at her, Arinna titled her head.

"What do you mean awkward?"  
"Michelle. It is weird having her here. It is like I can talk to her, then suddenly it gets super awkward." Nicole explained quietly, looking to the front room where Michelle was playing with Sebastian and Picasso. They seemed to enjoy her company, but then again, they didn't exactly have to work up conversations to get to know her.

Ah, the simple life of babies.

"You just don't know her well enough yet." Arinna insisted. "Give it some time."

"You know I would agree, if she wasn't already in my house where I'm forced to awkwardly just sit there." Nicole grumbled.

"You are the one who invited her in."

"I didn't want her to be lonely." Nicole growled. Arinna smiled gently at her friend.

"Exactly. So don't be so hard on yourself that you can't strike up a conversation with her. You just met and at least you are trying, that is a good sign. Maybe all you need to do is find something in common."

"In common?"

"Yeah, see if you like the same shows, or books, or whatever." Arinna nudged her. "Go on."

Stumbling forward at the push, Nicole frowned. Looking back to Michelle, she shuffled closer, sitting down, hoping she didn't look to awkward as she did it. "…Hey." She nodded when Michelle looked her way.

"…Hi." She nodded back.

"So…." Nicole whistled a bit. "How are you doing here in New York? You like it here?"

"It is very large, a little loud. In truth, very similar to my own city in ways, but very different all the same." Michelle answered. Nicole nodded.

"…Where did you live before New York?"

"Oxford." Michelle smiled.

"Ah. That is a pretty place. My Dad went there once for some business."

Michelle chuckled. "Yes, sometimes my Father would travel for business too."

"Does he still live in Oxford?"

Michelle's smiled fell and she shook her head. "Well no… he… he passed away a few years ago under some… heavy circumstances."  
"…" The conversation's mood suddenly dropped in just a few seconds. Nicole contemplated on asking Michelle what she meant, but she knew better than to pry on other people's past, especially over the death of a family member. "I…I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't mean-"

"Oh no, it is quite alright." Michelle insisted quickly. "You did not know. I actually moved here to get away from all of that. My old life in Oxford was… well it was getting a little too crazy for my taste."

Nicole snorted. "Only to have you move here where your neighbor ends up having two mutant baby turtles."

"Ah yes." Michelle laughed. "I switched one crazy life for another that is just as mad!" the two shared a good laugh. Behind them, Arinna watched with a smile.

Making friends just took some time.

-0000-

"Nicole, what are you doing?"

Nicole lowered the binoculars in her hands and turned to her best friend and new room mate. "I'm on the look out for Agatha." She answered.

"Why?"

"Well, ever since I got three strange new house guest, yourself included, I need to be on constant surveillance in case Agatha decides to get the jump on me."

"That is ridiculous. Ms. Agatha seems like a very sweet woman and you are taking this way out of proportion."

"That isn't what Jimmy said!" Nicole insisted.

"Who in the world is Jimmy?"

"Our neighbor down the hall. Did I ever tell you the story of him? He was once being super loud and Agatha came up and practically kicked his door down-!"

"I heard she only picked his lock." Michelle spoke up from the other side of the room. It had been 4 days since they had told Michelle of their little secret, and ever since then Michelle seemed to be finding herself in Nicole's apartment more and more. She didn't mind of course, but she sometimes wonder how exactly she ended up in here.

"Picked the lock, kicked the door down, it doesn't really matter. Either way, she broke into his house and gave him a beat down for disturbing the rest of the building." Nicole continued.

"I seriously doubt that." Arinna folded her arms.

"It is true… I think." Nicole shrugged. "Jimmy has never fully admitted to it happening, but he always seems really nervous whenever Agatha is in the vicinity." She turned back to the window to look out, keeping a constant watch for Agatha's car.

Arinna held her hands up in defeat and moved to the kitchen. "You could always go shopping you know, if you are bored."

"No way." Nicole scowled. "I spent a fortune last time I went, and all of it went to Seba and Pica."

"I told you not to call them that." Arinna sighed. 'They are boys, they should have cool boys nicknames."

"But they are babies, they shouldn't have cool names, they should have cute names." Nicole insisted. "Michelle, help me out here." Glancing up from her book for a few seconds, Michelle blinked, lifted the book up and hid her face behind it to avoid be pulled into the conversation. 'Michelle! C'mon~!"

"No thank you."

"Michelle~"

Arinna laughed for a few minutes, reaching to grab her shoes. "Then I'll go shopping… Can I possibly borrow some money?" she asked, looking ashamed. Nicole didn't even look angry anymore as she reached into her pocket.

"Sure thing buddy." She pulled out around 40 bucks and handed it to her. "Just don't get mugged."

"I'll try my best to avoid that." She said honestly. Turning to the boys, she gave the babies a tight hug. "Good bye." She squealed. "Play nice. I'll be back soon." She placed Sebastian and Picasso on the floor before running out of the apartment. Sebastian and Picasso watched her go with wide eyes.

"…Hmm?" A small confused whimper slipped out of Sebastian as he looked around, wondering where Arinna went. Circling the room, he looked to Picasso, his _brother, _and nudged him. Picasso nudged him back and the two continued their search.

"…I believe they are looking for Arinna." Michelle said.

"She literally just left 30 seconds ago. She'll be back soon." She said down to the little tots, unsure if they understood her at all. They looked up at her, their eyes wide.

Suddenly Sebastian hiccuped.

'Ah. No. No no no, don't you do it Seba." Nicole warned, knowing that a hiccup always lead to tears with him. "Arinna will literally be back in 20 minutes or so-"

"WAHHH!" Sebastian began to wail.

"Agh." Nicole slapped her forehead. "Really? Really? C'mon buddy." She scooped the baby into her arms. "How come you do this every time Arinna leaves the room. Look, Picasso is fine." She motioned down to the slightly bigger tot who stared up at them. "He's not even crying-" she froze when tears began to pool in Picasso's eyes. "Wha- WHY!?" she demanded. "Why are you crying too?!"

"Nicole, they are babies. They cry over everything." Michelle smiled.

"Why though?! I kind of get why Seba is crying, but why you Pica?" she knelt down, picking Picasso up as well. Passing the room, she gently bounced the two, hoping to calm them. "Uh… There there. Stop crying." Nicole huffed, mimicking the turtles wails by crying herself. "Wahhhhhhh." She cried sarcastically at the babies. "See how that sounds? Not fun. WAHHHHH."

"Nicole." Michelle sighed. "I do not believe that is the proper way to go about this."

"So says little turtles… Shhh. Shhh. Please stop crying. People will think someone is dying in here and call the cops, shh."

Michelle watched from the corner of the room, looking rather amused with the sight.  
"You could help me out Michelle." Nicole growled.  
"It looks like you have things under control though.' Michelle smiled innocently.

"Oh why you- This is pay back for me tackling you, isn't it?!"

"No, whatever gave you that idea?" Michelle inquired, pulling the book back out to continue her reading. Prepared to throw the whole couch at her, Nicole sighed when Sebastian pressed his face into her shoulder, sobbing as though it was the end of the world.

"C'mon on Sebastian. It is alright." She passed a bit more. "What did Arinna say again to make you two stop crying?"

"She sang a song." Michelle announced.

"Oh right. Um… _Hush little Turtles don't you cry. Nicole is gonna sing you a lullaby. Hush little turtles don't say a word, Nicole is gonna buy you a mocking bird_." Nicole sang gently. She was never a singer. Ever. Arinna definitely had the voice for it, but her, heck no! Hopefully these little ones didn't mind how off key and tone she was.

"I wonder if you can buy someone a mocking bird." Michelle asked from her spot in the room. Ignoring her, Nicole continued.

"_If that Mockingbird won't sing, Nicole is gonna buy you a golden ring_\- how about a bronze ring or something instead? Cause gold is _really _expensive and I'm on a limited budget-"

"Nicole, that is not part of the song." Michelle reminded her.

"Oh right." She cleared her throat. "Anyway…. _If that gold ring turns to brass_, which is a total waste of money, _Nicole is gonna buy you a looking glass_. Though I don't really think you need one. You probably wouldn't know how to use it, would you Seba." Sebastian, who had stopped crying, stared at Nicole. "Didn't think so. Anyway, _If that glass begins to crack, Nicole is gonna buy you a jumping jack_. Or a jet Pack. That would be fun."

"What is a jumping Jack?" Michelle questioned.

"A guy names Jack who can jump."

"You can purchase one of those?" Michelle looked dumbfounded.

"_If that Jumping Jack is broke-"_

"Poor Jack." Michelle placed a hand on her heart.  
"_Nicole is gonna buy you a velvet cloak. _Though if I was going to do that, you two would have to share it. I'm not buying both of you velvet cloaks." She chuckled. "_If that velvet Cloak is coarse, Nicole is gonna buy you a rocking horse." _She nodded. "Now that I could do. I think you two would enjoy a rocking horse."

"Agreed." Michelle nodded.

"_If that Rocking horse wont rock, Nicole is gonna buy you a cuckoo clock. _I'd also go back to the store and demand a refund too, but whatever. _If that cuckoo clock wont tick, _another refund here we come, _Nicole is gonna buy you a walking stick. _I actually might do that for you Seba. I think you need one." She tickled Sebastian under his chin. The little tot giggled, trying to pull away. "_If that walking stick falls down, you'll both still be the sweetest little tots around._"

"I don't think that last one actually rhymed." Michelle raised her hand. "Down, around-"

"Michelle, shh." Nicole commanded when she realized that Picasso had fallen asleep in her arms. Sebastian was close to the same state. She just had to lay them down and they would be out like lights for hours.

Michelle watched quietly, a gentle smile pulling on her lips. Her father used to sing this song for her when she was younger. She felt nostalgic to hear again after so long.

-000Arinna000-

Arinna felt like she was missing something super cute back at home. The boys were probably being adorable and she was missing it! She couldn't miss that!

"I have to hurry and get back." She nodded to herself, picking up her pace. She had never run through a store so fast in her life. She almost took out this couple who were sauntering in the middle of one of the aisles. "Sorry!" she has said when they gave her dirty looks. She was literally out of there in 10 minutes.

Nicole was right though, baby stuff was expensive, and she had only bought baby food this time! And a pack of gum, but Nicole would appreciate that.

Moving out of the store Arinna skipped down the streets with a jump to her step. To think, around a week ago, she would have been sleeping on that bench over there.

Not that there is anything wrong with benches, heavens no. Benches were Arinna's long term friends and comfort against the cold and unforgiving ground. At least on a bench Arinna could attempt to avoid bugs, to a certain extent, and other things.

Passing by a dark alleyway, Arinna jumped at the sound of a large crash. Freezing, mid-step, she slowly turned her head to look down it. At first, she couldn't really see anything, which could be considered good or bad depending on what made that noise.

As she looked closer however, she thought she could see some sort of form pressed up against the trash cans. They were on the ground, hunched over, as if in pain. Was that a person!? Oh no she should-

Little red flags shot through her skull. Nicole had warned her about this.

"_Be wary of who you interact with at night. Who knows who might be trying to get the drop on you." _She said a few days before. Well, though she did say that, Nicole didn't say Arinna couldn't help out an injured person. What if they were badly wounded and they would die if Arinna didn't step in an do something!?

Oh gosh! She had to do something.

Coming to her conclusion Arinna shuffled down the alley way, which was really starting to look rather gloomy and suspicious now that she thought about. "Um…. Uh… E-Excuse me? Sir? Are you alright?" She called, coming to a hault a few feet from the form. They didn't move.

She couldn't tell if they were an adult or teenager from their shadowy form. They weren't as tall as an adult, that was true, yet their body structure, muscle wise, looked similar to a grown man. A very buff man.

"Are you alright?" Arinna took a step closer, squinting her eyes through the dark. What she saw shocked her. No, that wasn't the right word. Horrified? Completely baffled? Astonished? Astounded? Staggered? Arinna struggled to place the words properly in her head, feeling herself fall backwards against the wall. She sat there for a few seconds, her grip tight against the shopping back.

In front of her was no man. Nor a teenager… well, maybe he as a teenager in age, but he wasn't a normal teenager.

He wasn't even human.

_He _was an alligator!

A repeat is required: AN ALLIAGATOR!

"…" Slowly placing down the bags, Arinna straightened and took a deep breath. Holding it in for a few seconds, she lifted her arms and began to wave them wildly, screaming incoherent words of shock and confusion. "sadlfhaosid roi hasjf ljasd ad fnas;dlf What the flip?! No seriously?! What the flip is this?! An Alligator?! REALLY?! Why is he here? Did he escape from the zoo?! He doesn't look like an average alligator! He is sitting like a person would and… and…" she lowered her hands, realizing she had been yelling to an Alligator that wasn't even conscious. If he was he probably would have attacked her or run away by now. "H-Hey…" she lifted her hand hesitantly, inching a little closer.

Now that she was closer, she could finally see them. Wounds. Bruises and scars covered his body, and his rib cage stuck out, his skin practically melting against them. When was the last time he ate?

"Don't…"

Arinna froze. Pulling back her hand, she did a double take. Did it just… speak? "Don't…. tou…ch… me." It growled quietly. "Don't… hurt… me…" he slurred, his eyes fluttering open for a few seconds before shutting and his body toppling over to his side. He definitely out cold now.

Arinna lowered her hands. He was talking to her. He was… intelligent enough to actually speak with her?

Arinna wasn't dumb, even if people believed her to be. She knew how serious this was, and oddly enough, it was a very similar situation to what happened a few days ago with the Sebastian and Picasso.

The only difference, is that this Alligator was hurt. Purposively hurt. Something did this to him. _So…_

Looking back and forth, she ran a hand through her hair. _What should she do?_

**_*HAPPY SQUEAL OF JOY! _**

**_And do you know why? I'm sure you do. I'm sure you know who this Alligator is people. Yup, that's right. My sister gave me an idea for this story, and I took it. She asked to add none other than LEATHER HEAD~_**

**_As a teen no less. _**

**_Basically meaning I picture him being a little smaller than how we usually see him. Like just a few inches smaller than Arinna, but still a little buff. Cause he is awesome like that :D_**

**_ANYWAY! GUESS WHAT PEOPLE! Speak of my sis, she has offered to do me something. She has offered to make a comic out of one of my stories. She would only do one of them though, so I asked her to do this one because I think it would be fun for her to draw this one and for us to see everyone's characters!_**

**_(if this isn't alright with you, please let me know)_**

**_Isn't this exciting!? I'll give you all more details in the next chapter, but for now, there it is! _**

_ATTENTION! ATTENTION. This is a note to the Author Raph J, and Koraru Kinomoto. I hope you both read this. You both told me that your OC's both love and marry Raph. So um…. Yeah. I'm fine if you two want that to happen, but of course, that would be two OC's for the same guy. SO I was hoping you two could talk it over or something and work out some agreement over what happens with dear little Raphie and his love life then let me know what you decide? THANK YOU SO MUCH!_


	5. Information and Alligators

**HEY GUYS! SO THIS CHAPTER IS MOST INFORMATION! **

**Don't worry though, I will be posting a little bit of a new chapter for you guys. Only a little bit though XD**

**Anyway, I just want to let you all know a few important things. **

**_THE COMIC HAS BEEN STARTED! IT HAS! If you want to read it, which some of you have been asking, the link is on the top of my Profile page!__ If for some odd reason it isn't working, just go to Deviantart and look up the profile name Littlebabyturtlelove. You can find it there too :D_  
**

**My Sister is the one drawing the comic, so I thank her very much!**

**ALSO! For those who haven't posted a character to me yet, THERE IS IMPORTANT INFO YOU MUST KNOW. Of course answer the questions I gave you in past chapters, but also, PLEASE LIMIT THE OC CHARACTERS YOU SEND IN TO ONE OR TWO! I will not accept more than two characters. THAT IS FINAL. **

Just because I already have so many Oc's in this story/ in the list going to join the story, and I don't want to get myself or you guys confused with who is who.

Oh, yeah, here is the character list by the way if you want to see it.

_**THE Character LIST (TO HELP ME KEEP TRACK)**_

**Nicole _INTRODUCED_**

**Arinna _INTRODUCED_**

**Picasso (**Blackhooded001**) _INTRODUCED_**

**Sebastian (**EpicThunder101**) _INTRODUCED_**

**Michelle **(Dark Nightwatcher**) _INTRODUCED_**

**Elizabeth (**Koraru Kinomoto**) Love interest to future Leo?**

**Jordan (**koraru Kinomoto**)**

**Alexis and Vanessa (**Rinpup14**) **

**Elsa and Haru (**Erica Phoenix**)**

**Tessa and Kr (**Cryshardy**)**

**Calypso (**ZoAria Blaze**)**

**Agatha Handel (**aerssse. Hasste**) _INTRODUCED_**

**LeatherHead _INTRODUCED _I'm so excited for this! **

**Venus (I'm DOING THIS! I'm not even kidding! Venus will be in this story, and I'm gonna make her awesome. She's gonna kick some butt and actually do something! She wont be a screw up! She wont be just a love interest! She will have a role! A TRUE ROLE!. ….. yeah XD)**

**Tiger Claw (Yeah… that's right. This is happening. He's appearing eventually XD and I'm gonna make it cute. )**

**Shadow (**Mistystar123

**Andi (**HardyGal**)**

**Nikki Watson (**Raph j**) Love interest to future Raph? **

**Filien Levevre (**KitkaKatTIOI)

**Jake Brookfield (**Jack Russel)

**Elisabetta (AKA, Elisa) (**SakuraNinjaress)

**Giovanni (**GC4life**)**

**Victor Reed (**_CrazyCroc1_**)**

**Caterina (**_LunaLoveGood'sbestFriend_**) Possible love interest for future Mikey? **

**Hinata Nanase and Sandro (**Leixym)

**Katniss (**Jasper is hot1

**Tristian and Shane Lawrence **(TurtleBoy89) Guest

**Asami Yoshida and Lupa (**Leofan221)

**Mathew (**RaphaelFanX7)

**Douglas Owen Scott Henderson (**Yellowskies9)

**Danielle Roselle Leve'fre **(Danielle)

**Disiree Erikson Aka DEZ (**newtb00)

**Amadora (**Loral Guest)

**Maria Alma (**Kakashiluckyblackcat)

So know you all get a look at who will be coming. Also, if you are still thinking of sending characters, please try to use characters that don't already have these names XD Just so I people don't get confused when there are two Nikki's or whatever running around XD

**Anyway, that is all the stuff I have to say for today. Thank you so much for reading and participating in this story. I really love writing this story for you guys, and I hope you love it too. If any of you have some sort of event or suggestion you want to add to the story, please don't hesitate to tell me. **

**This is a story for you guys after all. You will be the ones to decide what happens it it :D**

_OH! AND HERE IS A LITTLE BIT OR WRITING FOR YOU GUYS FROM THE NEXT CHAPTER!_

* * *

Michelle was dumbfounded to say the least. The sight before her was… it was strange and it made her worried. A little after Arinna had left and Nicole had finished her song for Sebastian and Picasso, they had journeyed to her apartment down the hall so Nicole could look at her pictures.

Sebastian and Picasso didn't seem to care for them, but Nicole truly enjoyed them.

"These are amazing Michelle!' Nicole gasped, circling the room where pictures and newspaper articles lined the walls. "You did all of this?"

"Yes." Michelle chuckled. "It is my passion."

"Whoa." Nicole beamed. "This is so cool." Nicole paused to stare at a Photo the was held between a black frame. It was resting against Michelle's book shelf and had a picture of an older man and a much younger Michelle. "Hey, is this your Dad?" Nicole inquired, seeing the similarities between her new friend and the man.

Michelle's eyes widened. "Oh…" she shuffled to the book shelf, grabbing the picture. "…Yes."

"He looks like you. Or, I guess I should say you look like him." Nicole chuckled as Picasso and Sebastian plated around her feet.

Michelle's smile was gentle, but held a sadness behind them. "I have always been told I have his eyes and smile."

"I can see it." Nicole nodded, feeling a little off put by Michelle's sudden lost in joy. "Is… something wrong?"  
"No. No." she waved it off quickly. "I was just thinking of my Father. As I said before he passed away a few years back."  
Nicole nodded. "Yeah."  
"…I never really got to say good-bye to him." Michelle explained. "One minute he was there, and the next, he wasn't. He was…" she trailed off. "He was taken from me."

"Taken?" Nicole frowned. "What… do you mean?"

Michelle began to shake her head. "It is all in the past now. I've moved on and I will not have to worry about it any more." She said to herself, placing the picture back on the shelf. "I apologize for bringing the topic up. You do not need to worry Nicole."

"…Okay." Nicole frowned. Though how could she not be worried by the way Michelle just acted? She supposed Michelle had her own dark past and secrets too. She wouldn't pry.

The two were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a frantic banging on Michelle's apartment door. "Oh?" she frowned. "Who could that be?"

"Agatha?" Nicole guessed.

"Well it is alright if it is here. You should not be so worried over Agatha Nicole. She is a lovely person." Michelle tutted.

"I know that… but the fact that she can reveal our secret or come bursting in at any second worries me." Nicole mumbled as Michelle made her way to the door.

Opening it, Michelle's eyes widened at the horrible sight in front of her. "Arinna!" Michelle gasped in shocked as the young adult shuffled into her apartment building, soaked in water and mud. "What happened to you?"  
Nicole rose to her feet, just as shocked. "Arinna?!"

"You… weren't in your apartment." Arinna looked to Nicole, her voice barely above a whisper. "So I cam here." Instead of answering their original question, she looked at the ground.

"Arinna." Nicole mumbled. "I… yeah, sorry about that. Michelle had some pictures she wanted to show me. "But… what happened to you? Did someone try to mug you?" Nicole's words earlier about warning Arinna not to get mugged echoed in her brain. Oh gosh, had she jinxed her friend?

"No." Arinna voice grew louder, than shrunk again. "No." she repeated. "I wasn't mugged."

"Then… what happened?"

The room was quiet for a few minutes. The only sound made was when Arinna knelt down to pick Sebastian up because he was constantly pulling on her pant leg. "I kind of… found something." She said.

"Kind of?" Michelle asked.

"Well no… I… I _did _find something."  
"You found something." Nicole narrowed her eyes, "As in?"

Arinna shuffled nervously. "I think it would be better if I show you." She said.

"Okay."

"In your room." Arinna motioned down the hall towards Nicole's room.

"You brought whatever weirdo thing into my house?" Nicole demanded. "I swear, there better not be anything super creepy in there."

"Define creepy."

"…." Nicole narrowed her eyes, not feeling happy with Arinna tone and question. "Something that could kill me."

"Well then it could be considered creepy." Arinna nodded to herself.

"Then I don't want to go in there!" Nicole yelped.

"Nicole please. I need your help. You are the only person I can go to about this." Arinna pleaded. Groaning in frustration, Nicole turned back to Michelle, who shrugged.

Sighing, she turned back around to say, "It better not be another Baby turtle." She reached down to pick up Picasso, handing him to Michelle, who didn't mind hold him.

"I can assure you it definitely isn't that." Arinna nodded, motioning down the hall. Sighing, Nicole pushed past her and towards her room. Her two friends followed behind her, Michelle looking curious while Arinna bit her thumb nervously.

"Promise me you wont freak out?" Arinna called just as Nicole reached for the door handle. Nicole hesitated.

"…Would I freak out if I saw it?"

"Maybe." Her friends shrugged.

"Then I can't promise." Nicole growled.

"Nicole!"

"Ah! Fine, fine. I promise I won't freak out." Nicole grumbled, throwing open the door and moving inside. Piling in, Arinna quickly closed the door behind her and locked it. Motioning for the others to follow, she lead them into the living room, where a new quest was seated.

….Kind of.

"AHH!" Michelle and Nicole pointed to the couch in unison as the sight of Nicole's new _guest _could be seen. He was sprawled out on the couch, his arms hanging off of it and his head resting against a pillow.

It wasn't a person though….

It was an alligator. A friggin' Alligator!

"Hehe…. Ta-da~." Arinna smiled nervously.

"AHHH! AHHH! AHHH!" Nicole began to wiggling her hands in a sort of 'Jazz hands' sort of way around her cheeks, shaking her head and running in place.

"Nicole you said you wouldn't freak out!" Arinna yelled.

"That was before I knew you brought an alligator i-i-i-in to my house!" she shrieked in terror, diving behind the table. "Get it out of here! Where in the world did you even get that?! You know what, I don't wanna know! Just get it out of my out!"

"But he needs help!" Arinna argued.  
"Now it's a _he?!" _Nicole gawked at her friend from behind the table.

"He has always been a he! He isn't an _it!'_ He is dehydrated, and deprived of food and most likely sleep." Arinna argued. "And he is hurt! That is why I need you! You're the only person close to a Doctor that I know!"

"I don't care about that!" Nicole sobbed. "You know how I feel about A-A-Alliga-go- AHH!' Nicole couldn't even seem to finish her sentence. Curling into a ball, she rolled under the table.

The whole room fell silent after that, neither of the two girls knowing exactly what to say. "…Nicole." Arinna said softly. "I know this is probably tough for you-" she paused when Nicole whimpered in agreement. "But this Alli- um…" she was hesitant to say the word. "This person is different. He talked to me! He can speak!"

"Speak?" Michelle looked shocked, keeping at a far and safe distance from the beast. "Are you sure that is even a good thing?!"  
"Yeah I was just as shocked! I think he is some sort of… of… uh, Nicole, what was that word you used to describe the boys?" Arinna peeked under the table at her friend, who was rocking back and forth.

'Mutant." She answered quietly.

"Right, a mutant. I believe he is a mutant too!"

Nicole sniffed and rolled onto her side, away from Arinna. "No."

"Nicole?" Michelle looked under the table at Nicole, shocked by her unwillingness to help someone, even if it was a mutant, who was in need of help. "I mean, it is shocking but… this is kind of over exaggerating, is it not?"

"I really…" Nicole hugged herself. "…Really can't _handle _alligators very well." Nicole mumbled into her knees. "I hate them."

"She doesn't hate them." Arinna corrected. "She has this huge fear over them because of the time when she was 8 and went to the Zoo."

"What happened at the Zoo?" Michele inquired.

"Long story short, Nicole got a little too close to the edge of the exhibit and fell into the Alligator's habitat." Arinna sighed.  
"Ooh." Michelle winced. "How dreadful."  
"Yeah." Nicole nodded in agreement. "I almost didn't get out of there alive."

"They pulled you out literally 2 minutes after you fell in. The Alligators barely even noticed you were there." Arinna corrected.

"So says the person who was out of the exhibit and laughing and me the whole time!" Nicole wailed.

"It was funny!" Arinna threw her arms in the air.

"It was not!"

**Haha, well, that is all for now! Stay tune for more! :D**


	6. Leatherhead

"That was the worse 10 minutes of my entire life." Nicole sniffed as she rocked back and forth in the corner of the room, clinging to Picasso and Sebastian as if they were her only life lines. "You owe me big Arinna!"

"Yes, I know." Arinna sighed as she pulled a chair closer to the Alligator she had brought home. It had taken a lot of convincing a pleading from both Michelle and herself, but Arinna had at last convinced Nicole to bandage up the poor guy. Arinna practically had to hold Nicole in place as she did it.

"How is he?" Michelle asked gently as she peeked over the couch and down at the new _guest. _

"Nicole says he's stable and he should be fine with rest." Arinna sighed. "The poor guy. I wonder who did this to him."

"He looked as if he was beaten." Michele covered her mouth. "The poor dear."  
"Poor my butt." Nicole grumbled. "Though…" she glanced over her shoulder. "His wounds were a little… odd."  
"What do you mean?" Michelle and Arinna inquired.

Turning around, Nicole let Picasso and Sebastian rest on her lap. "Well… I noticed a lot of needle injection marks. Injection scars if you will."

"Needle injection?" Arinna looked back at the alligator. "Like… the ones scientists use?"  
"Yeah. The scars on his arms and back weren't made all at once, either. Some are new but some were probably made years ago. You were also right about what you said before. He's been food deprived for a while, probably water too." Nicole glanced at the IV she had attached to the alligator's arm.

And her fellow Medical students said she was stupid for wanting to bring those home with her. Well look who is the fool now! Saving lives! Haha!

"That is horrible.' Arinna shook her head. "Who would do such a terrible thing?"  
"Who knows." Nicole shrugged.

"Well, what should we do now?" Michelle inquired. The other two girls glanced at each other, unsure of how to answer.

"I don't know." Arinna admitted. "I don't want him just running off by himself though. If the police or someone see him, he might either be put in a zoo or taken for scientific research."  
"Scientific research? Why wouldn't they just put him in a zoo?" Michelle sounded confused.

"Because he isn't an average alligator." Nicole answered curtly, rising to her feet. The boys clung to her legs below as she walked to the kitchen. "Even by just an examination I could see his limbs and muscles weren't that of an average Alligator. He arms and legs bend like a humans would. Most likely he can stand on his back legs and walk like a human… which is something Alligators can't do, unless they were in cartoons."

"…I wonder if we are secretly a cartoon." Arinna mumbled quietly.

"No." Her friend shook her head. "My point is though, he obviously isn't normal. They would definitely want to do some research on him."  
"I… see." Michelle nodded.

"Plus, if what Arinna said was true and that he can talk, that is even a bigger reason." Nicole said as she made herself some coffee.

"This is just getting more confusing by the minute." Arinna ran her hand through her hair. "First humanoid Turtles… then a humanoid Alligator?"  
"Next comes alien brains." Nicole joked. The other girls laughed at how ridiculous that sounded.

"Though…" Michelle frowned as the laughs died down. "I did take pictures of aliens on my camera."  
"Those probably weren't UFO's Michelle. It was probably some toy or something some kid was messing with." Nicole said.  
"I suppose you are right..." Michelle nodded. "That topic aside however, there is still the matter of what to do with our new Guest."  
"Find a place to put him should be first on the list." Nicole took a sip.

"He could always stay here with us, y'know." Arinna wiggled her eye brows.

"No. No, no, no, no." Nicole shook her head. "It was one thing with the baby turtles. They are small, cute and easy to hide. A Giant Alligator on the other hand, is a big fat N O ."

"He actually isn't that big." Arinna huffed. "He is pretty lanky if you ask me." She looked down to the alligator. He was a few inches smaller, height wise, than her, and had the muscle mass of any teen that spent a lot of time working out.

"I don't care! He'll get bigger! He isn't staying here!" Nicole yelled.

"But Nicole-"

"I agreed to bandage him up. I did that. I will not allow him to stay." Nicole narrowed her eyes. "That is my final say on this Arinna!"

Arinna huffed angrily. "That is so cold hearted!"

"It is not!"

"It is so you cold hearted witch!"

"I will gladly be a witch if it means I don't have to live with an alligator! You know exactly how I feel about them, but you are still trying to force me into a situation like this! You are the one who is cold hearted Arinna!" Nicole yelled.

"Um-" Michelle said softly from the side. "M-Maybe we should tone it down a tad?" she said. "Agatha might get curious and come check on us."

The two froze.

Glaring at each other, Arinna began to whisper. "He needs our help."  
"Do you know what Alligators do Arinna? They eat things and attack them. They've been known to snap around your neck and pull you under water till you drown."  
"One, there isn't any water around here. Two, as you said, he is different. Maybe he doesn't eat people."

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe he doesn't eat people. But he might eat cute little baby turtles." Nicole held up Sebastian, who was wigging his fingers, staring at everyone.

"Don't use Sebastian in this argument!" Arinna gasped, grabbing him and holding him close.

"I will because we have to think of every possible thing that guy might do when he wakes up." Nicole pointed to him.

Behind them all, Michelle sighed. How was she supposed to stop this kind of argument?

Turning away, she looked down at Picasso, who was staring up at her. Kneeling down, she scooped him up. "What would you do little one?" she inquired. Picasso lifted his hand and began to suck his thumb. "…Yes, grabbing a bite to eat sounds lovely." Michelle agreed and moved to the kitchen.

"Nicole! Please!" Arinna dropped to her knees.

"You know, you can't go grabbing every stray you find Arinna!" Nicole huffed.

"I will if they are hurt." Arinna narrowed her eyes.

Growling in frustration, hating how stubborn her friend could be sometimes, Nicole turned away. Pacing for a few minutes, Nicole rubbed her chin. "…Fine." She sighed.

"Fine?" Arinna's eyes widened.

"One night." Nicole held up one finger. 'I'm serious about this Arinna. One night, then he is gone. Understand?"  
"…." Arinna nodded her head. "Understood."

* * *

"Say _Nicole_." Nicole coaxed quietly. Picasso titled his head at her. "Come on Pica, you got this. Say _Nicole." _ Nicole chuckled to the confused baby, who stared at her with wide eyes. It was late, probably 1 in the morning. "Nicole~"

"….Gah…." Picasso fell onto his back, wiggling around the bed. Sighing, Nicole shook her head at the little turtle.

"Y'know, I wonder if you can even talk. I guess I'll never know till you do." She reached forward to grab him. "Come on, lets go to bed." He suddenly crawled to his right, barely avoiding her hands. "What the- c'mere Picasso." She continued to try and grab him, but he avoided her.

It wasn't till he suddenly let out a small giggle, one of those super cute baby giggles, that she realized he was playing with her. "Oh." She nodded. "So that is how it is." She snorted, jumping to her knees and reaching out. "I'm gonna get'cha." She chuckled, grabbing his leg. He squealed as she pulled him back, wrapping her arms around him. 'Got you." She cooed, falling back, Picasso resting against his stomach.

Picasso giggled and giggled, pressing his face into her stomach. She smiled down at him.

She wasn't the best with kids, but maybe she wasn't too bad with Turtles?

* * *

"You're leaving?!" Arinna gawked.

"I have to go to work. I haven't gone in almost a whole week." Nicole huffed as she placed on her coat. "I can't leave Vanessa to handle the store all on her own."  
"But what about-" Arinna trailed off to point back at the alligator on the couch.

Nicole gave her a long stare. "Hey, you brought him home, he is your responsibility."  
"Nicole." Arinna whined. "You're just doing this because you don't want to be here when he wakes up."

"…I can't deny that, but I literally do have to go to work at some point, so I choose now." With a smirk, Nicole opened the door. "Michelle will be here to help you out, don't worry."

"I'm still worried."  
"Boo-hoo. Bye Sebastian, bye Picasso." Nicole waved to the two turtle tots, who were seated around a bundle of blankets and given two teddy bears to play with. They were too distracted by their new toys to even notice Nicole calling to them.

Sighing, Nicole rolled her eyes and left, locking the door behind her. When she was gone, Arinna slumped against the wall.

"Great." She grumbled. "…Oh well!' she suddenly perked up. "I won't let this get me down." Straightening to walked to the kitchen to start breakfast.

* * *

Nicole had missed her shop.

She hadn't been here in almost 8 days. She was starting to get worried about it. Hopefully her lovely angel from above manager, Vanessa, had everything under control!

"Oh Vanessa!" Nicole called out cheerfully as she swung open the Bakery door and stepped inside.

Silence at first, and then she heard a faint, "Yes?" towards the back of the store.

"Fear not Vanessa, I return!" Nicole said.

Peeking her head out from behind the counter, Vanessa stared at her. "….Well this certainly is a surprising sight. My Boss, finally up and with the living."  
"Yeah yeah." Nicole waved at her. "Sorry about being gone for so long. How has the shop been?"  
"Great." Vanessa nodded. "We haven't been too busy or slow, it has been kind of steady."  
"That is good." Nicole grinned.

"So where have you been?"  
"Oh-" Nicole dropped her hat and jacket off in the closet. "I've just been having a rough week."

"Family troubles?" Vanessa inquired.

"…You could say it was something like that. I'm just glad to be back at work."  
"Me too." Vanessa smiled. "It hasn't been the same without you."

"Aww." Nicole grinned. "Hey Vanessa- Gah." Nicole jumped as she moved around the counter to find Vanessa's baby daughter, Alexis, sitting in her baby seat, staring at her. "Vanessa! You're creepy baby is behind the counter again!"

"Why is that your reaction every time you see her?" Vanessa sighed.

"She freaks me out! She suddenly just appears!" Nicole wailed.

"She's a baby strapped to a baby chair. She can't exactly move Nicole.' Vanessa rolled her eyes as she cleaned the counter.

"Then how does she always appear out of nowhere?"  
"She doesn't, you just don't notice she is there till the last second."

Folding her arms, Nicole huffed. "Whatever." Trailing her eyes to the other side of the store, she leaned against the counter. "Has anyone come in today?"  
"Nope."  
"Hmm, and it is already 10:00." She glared at the clock. "…Today is gonna be a bad day."

"What makes you say that?"  
"I just know."

* * *

Arinna felt her blood run cold when Michelle suddenly screamed.

It had been at least 2, possibly 3 hours since Nicole left. Arinna had been in the kitchen when she heard it.

Shrill and quick, as if right in the middle of it, someone cut Michelle off.

"Michelle!?" she gasped, whipping around and running into the front room. Tripping over one of Sebastian's toys as she entered, she straightened.

The Alligator she had found was awake, and not happy. In fact, it had Michelle pinned to the ground, and was looming over her with an intent to kill.

Well Nicole did warn her about this, but Arinna had to remember, this Alligator was hurt when she found him. He might just think they are trying to hurt him again.

"STOP!" Arinna wailed, lunging forward, moving around the couch. "Stop please!"

The Alligator froze, snapped his gaze to her. It's yellow eyes narrowed into dark slits. "Who are you?!" He bellowed angrily….

Arinna would have shuddered… if it hadn't been for the fact that this Alligator's voice sounded a little squeaky. It was like he was going through puberty or something.

…Can Alligators even do that? Oh gosh, that was kind of funny.

"I'm Arinna." Arinna pointed to herself. "That is Michelle right there. We don't want to hurt you." Arinna said carefully. Below, Michelle sniffed, keeping as still as she possibly could. Even from here Arinna could tell Michelle was afraid that if she even breathed wrong this mutant above her would snap her whole body in two.

…Not a comforting thought.

"Where am I?" The Alligator growled, scanning the area. "What do you want with me?! Why am I here?!"

"This is an apartment building on the East side of the city." Arinna began to explain as calmly as possible, holding her hands up as if someone was pointing a gun to her head. "This place belongs to my friend Nicole. I found you last night collapsed, and because Nicole is a Doctor I brought you here. So she could fix you up. She is the one who bandaged your side." She motioned to it with her head.

As if just now realizing that his wounds had been tended to, the Alligator gawked at them. "You… healed me? Why?" he sounded so shocked, as if someone actually helping him would be unheard of.

"Well, yes." Arinna nodded. "Of course. Why wouldn't we?"

The Alligator was dumbstruck ,"…" Releasing Michelle from his grip, giving her space to breath, he stepped back, pressing his back to the wall. "You… You mean you aren't… The K-Kraang?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"… The what?" Michelle coughed, stumbling to her feet and scurrying to stand next to Arinna.

"You okay?" Arinna quietly whispered to her.

Michelle nodded, keeping her gaze locked with the Alligator. Now that she was released, Michelle's fearful demeanor changed into a sour one and she scowled at their now _unwanted guest. _

Arinna wasn't surprised, anyone would be sour at a person who just attacked them out of the blue.

"… You said a name a second ago." Michelle folded her arms, her scowl and her voice harsh. "The _Kraang. _Who are they?"  
Looking back to the Alligator Teen, they were both stunned to see him flinch, his whole body going rigid.

"Are… Are they the ones who did this to you?" Arinna narrowed her eyes. The Alligator's eyes widened and it broke Arinna's heart to see so much pain and fear pool behind his eyes. He was scared. This giant and menacing Alligator, that could easily chop them into pieces, was scared.

"They…" he shook his head a few times. "T-They…"

"Hey hey." Arinna said gently. "It is okay. You are safe now." She sent him a smile. "Why don't you tell us your name?"

"My n-name?" He looked puzzled. "… I have no name. I was never given one." He shuffled back and forth on is heels, staring around wearily at the surroundings. He was searching for any sign that these girls were lying. That they were secretly the Kraang with just the appearance of humans. The Kraang were never this good at pretending to be human though, nor did they ever take on other names besides Kraang.

…Or talk in first person instead of third.

Yet the more he looked, the more he found nothing but a regular human home. There were books, pictures, furniture… It was oddly homey.

"You don't have a name?" Michelle gasped, the anger she felt boiling in her stomach seemed to subside into a sense of pity. "That's…. well… that is terrible." She lowered her gaze. She wasn't going to forget that assault just a few minutes ago, but she could at least try to be a little understanding. After all, Arinna was doing it.

The Alligator shrugged his bulky shoulders, looking more awkward over threatening. He was like a shy little kid talking to strangers.

"You said… You said your name was Arinna and Michelle, yes?" he asked, sounding so hesitant that Arinna couldn't help but think he was cute. It was like he suddenly turned into a child.

The two nodded. "I… I am sorry for before. I… I thought you were my enemies here to harm me once more." He sniffed, scratching at the bandage on his side. Realizing that probably wasn't the best thing to do, he lowered his hand. "…Thank you for helping me."

"Anytime." Arinna smiled. "Um… here, why don't you take a seat. I'll get you something to drink. Is water okay?"

"….Yes." The Alligator shuffled to the couch and sat down, pulling his knees close to his chest.

"Okay I'll-" Arinna paused. "Actually, you go get the water Michelle."  
"Gladly." She huffed, not wanting to be stuck alone in the room with her assaulter.

When she was gone, Arinna sat down on the chair across from the couch. "So… I know this must be strange for you, but can I ask you some questions."  
"Questions?" he narrowed his eyes.

"If you don't want to answer that is perfectly fine." Arinna said quickly. "I would just like to know what kind of person we are keeping in our house…. That is all."

"Oh then… I see." He cleared his throat. "Again I am very sorry about earlier."

"It is okay, really." Arinna said, "You didn't know we weren't the… uh…" she blanked on the name.  
"…Kraang." He added, his voice livid.

"Yes, them." Arinna nodded. "So, how did you end up in that alleyway?"

Sighing, the Alligator shifted, his tail swishing back and forth. "I can't really remember." He said honestly. "Everything was so blurry from the escape…"

"Escape?" Arinna's eyes widened. "Escaped from where?"  
"A terrible place. They… they were doing things there. Terrible things." He scratched at his wounds again. "Their security had a few bugs. There was a panel I used to escape…. They chased me. I was so… I wanted to get away so I ran. I ran so far I don't even remember falling unconscious."

It was quiet.

What was Arinna suppose to say to all of that? It scared her.

This poor Alligator… This poor child. It was obvious he wasn't an adult yet. He was just a scared little kid being chased by man with very suspicious motives.

"How long were you there?" she forced herself to ask.

"A long time. At least, as long as I can remember before I was flushed down the toilet." He said.

"…I'm sorry what? Flushed down the toilet?" she asked, confused.

"When I was little, newly born. A young boy took care of me, but his parents didn't like me. They made him flush me down the toilet. Then the Kraang found me in the sewers."  
"…Oh." Arinna bit her bottom lip. "That… That is terrible." She mumbled.

The two of them paused when Michelle came bag with a giant gallon of water. "Here you go."

"Michelle, what is that?" Arinna motioned to the gallon.

"I thought he might be thirsty. So I fetched him the largest drink we had." Plopping it down on the table, she motioned for him to drink. "Drink up."

"…Thank you?" he said, taking the gallon, easily lifting it to his lips, unlike Michelle, who had a little bit of a struggle in bringing it in the room. Slurping down the drink in one go, he let out a well deserved sigh of satisfaction. "Thank you very, very much."

Michelle smiled, sitting down in her chair. "Of course."

Placing the gallon back on the table, the Alligator stared at them. "I wish to ask some of my own questions."  
"Hmm?" Arinna raised her eye brow. "Yeah sure. Go ahead."

"Why are you not surprised?"  
The two humans frowned, not understanding.

He motioned to himself. "You are both… calm, with how I look. I… I am a monster." He quietly explained. Neither knew how exactly to explain this to him.

"Well, I wouldn't say we _aren't _surprised." Arinna explained, "Trust me, when I found you, I freaked out a little."

"As did I when she brought you inside." Michelle nodded.

"But, you aren't the first strange creature I've found in the past couple weeks."

"….What?" he was utterly confused.

Chuckling, Arinna rose to her feet and moved into the bedroom. Waiting for her, the Alligator's jaw dropped when she came back with two very large and obviously un-normal turtles.

"Say hello to Sebastian and Picasso." She grinned.  
"Those… are baby turtles." He pointed to them.  
"And you are a giant alligator my friend." Michelle chuckled. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"I… well…" the Alligator suddenly cracked a smile. At least, Arinna thought it was a smile. She couldn't really tell with Alligators. Either way, it was nice.

"We found these two a little while ago. They are a lot like you." Arinna sat down so he could get a better look at them.

"Though, I do hope they did not go through the same thing you went through to get here." Michelle mumbled to herself.

Giving her a look, Arinna shook her head. "Anyway… Say hello to our new guest boys." She coaxed the turtles. Confused, their eyes locked with the Alligator.

…Sebastian suddenly flew his arms in the air, wiggling wildly in shock, not expecting to see such a large creature in front of him. Picasso on the other hand simply stared curiously.

"Hehe. I think they like you." Arinna chuckled.

* * *

It was strange keeping an Alligator as a house guest. Arinna wasn't sure how to react to the whole situation. He seemed nice, and the boys absolutely adored him.

She was sure that if Nicole suddenly came in and saw Picasso and Sebastian clinging to Leatherhead's tail like they were right now, she would faint.

"…They have endless energy." The Alligator said as he lifted his tail to the side. The babies locked onto the sight and crawled wildly after it.

"Yeah, careful with Sebastian though." Arinna said cautiously.

"Which one is that one?" He inquired.

'The one with the braces. His legs are a little weaker and they get hurt easily, so make sure he doesn't run around too much."

He nodded his head, staring at the little ones. "Where did you find them?"  
"In a box. They were in a dumpster for some reason." Arinna sighed sadly. "…It was horrible that someone just left them there."

"…It is." The alligator agreed. "They seem very nice."

"Well, they are babies." Arinna agreed, moving to sit across from the Alligator. Now that things had become settled, she didn't feel afraid of him anymore. She felt that he wouldn't hurt her.

"You know-" she smiled. "We should give you a name."  
"A-A name?" he stammered.

"What is this about a name?" Michelle inquired as she came back into the room with a bottle in hand. It was time for the boys to eat.

"Him." Arinna pointed to the Alligator. "We should give him a name. Don't you agree?"

"Hmm." Michelle frowned. "Well, I suppose so, yes."

"We can't just call you Mr. Alligator. We should give you an actual name." Arinna concluded. "What should it be though. Do you have anything in mind?"

"…W-Well… no." he said quietly, shuffling a bit, looking nervous. "I-I never really thought about naming myself."

"Don't worry then." Arinna said, "We'll name you!"

"Then by all means, let the naming begin." Michelle grabbed Picasso, bringing the bottle to his lips. "Perhaps Timmy?"  
"Timmy?" Arinna looked at him. "Nah, I can't see him as a Timmy." Rising to her feet, she circled him.

"Kevin?" Michelle said again.  
"No."  
"Michael?"

"Nah."  
"…Joseph?"  
"That just feels weird to call him that."  
"How about Hendrick?"

"That is a really fancy name." Arinna smiled. "But I don't think that would work for him. It just doesn't fit."

"Well, what do you suggest then Arinna?" Michelle sighed.

"Well-" she noted, "His skin is kind of leathery." She patted his head. He lowered his gaze, looking embarrassed.

"Head Leather." Michelle mumbled. "….Heather?"

"What?" Arinna chuckled. "That is a girls name."

"I am simply placing out suggestions." She waved it off, smiling down at Picasso, who happily sucked on the bottle.

"….Leather Head…." The alligator mumbled under his breath.

"Huh? What was that?" Arinna looked at him. He jumped, waving his hands around frantically.

"N-Nothing." He stammered. "Just… talking to myself."

"Oh come on now. Spit it out." Michelle coaxed. He lowered his head, looking as if he might just explode from embarrassment. It was cute.

"….L-Leather Head." He stuttered, twiddling his thumbs together. "That is what I said."  
"Leather Head." The girls repeated in unison. They smiled giving each other a nod. "We like it!"

"Huh?"  
"Leather Head. That sounds like a lovely name." Michelle smiled kindly.

* * *

"Well, I'm heading off." Nicole threw her bag over her shoulder. "Thanks for closing for me Vanessa."

"No problem. Are you sure though that you can't close tonight? You haven't been here much." Vanessa looked a little concerned. "Is everything okay?"  
"Yeah." Nicole assured her. "Well, I mean, they'll be okay. It isn't exactly bad, it is just crazy."

"How so?" Vanessa inquired.

"Oh uh… my aunt had… two kids lately." Nicole answered hesitantly.

"Twins?"  
"Yeah." She nodded, feeling kind of bad for lying to her own employee and friend. "She has been having a tough time handling both of them so I've been helping out."  
"I thought you didn't like taking care of kids?" Vanessa raised her eye brow.

"I don't." Nicole agreed. "So you can see why I'm struggling with this."

"Can't your Aunt turn to someone else in the family then?"

"Well… no." She shrugged. "No one else in my family lives here in New York so…" she trailed off. "I don't mind it."  
"Hmm?"  
Nicole chuckled nervously. "How do I put this?" she questioned herself. "I can't handle kids well, and I don't like taking care of them… but that doesn't mean I don't, y'know, like them. I think the only reason I don't like taking care of little kids is because I'm terrible at it." She mumbled. "So I want to help my _aunt _as much as possible…"

"That is rather kind of you Nicole." Vanessa smiled.  
"I guess." She shrugged. "The only problem is…"

"Is?"  
"…My aunt brought home a… new friend." Nicole scowled. "I don't really like him… or trust him. He looks a little dangerous."

"Oh." Vanessa nodded. "That sounds tough."

"I know." Nicole sighed. "I just wish my… aunt, could see that too."  
"Well I'm sure she does Nicole." Vanessa chuckled. "She probably just sees the good side of her friend more than the bad."

"The good?"  
"Well, if he is your Aunt's friend, he can't be all bad, right?"

Nicole didn't know what to say. She wanted to disagree and say Arinna had only just met that Alligator, but things would have just gotten complicated in trying to explain. "Yeah." She nodded. "Your right Vanessa." She turned away. "Well, see you tomorrow."  
"Bye bye." Vanessa waved.

* * *

"You sure can chow down." Arinna mumbled as she once again place a another plate of noodles in front of Leatherhead. Placing his old bowl to the side, Leatherhead grinned nervously.

"S-Sorry I'm just-" he looked down at the bowl. "I feel as though I have not eaten in ages." He said softly.

Smiling, Arinna nodded. "Than have as much as you want." She said. "No problem at all.

"Are you sure?" he looked surprised.

"Of course." She grinned.

"…" Turning his head back to his bowl, Leatherhead cleared his throat, as if he was embarrassed. "…T-Thank you."

Arinna smiled brightly. This Alligator- no, this boy, sure was a sweet heart. Hopefully Nicole would be able to see the same when she returned home. She didn't want to send LeatherHead away when he had no one to turn to. It didn't feel right to her.

She knows she might be to trusting. Her Brother had told her the same thing throughout her whole life. So of course she was aware of it.

What was wrong with being trusting though? She hadn't known him long, but she had grown rather fond of Leather Head. So did the boys.

"Sebastian no." I heard Michelle scold softly. "Don't stick sharp looking things in your mouth."

Glancing at them, I could see Sebastian was trying to trying to eat Leather Head's rather pointy tail. Oh Sebastian.

As Michelle picked him up, the little one babbled out a strange word of protest, wiggling his toes for freedom. Looking heart broken as he was taken away from Leatherhead, he sniffled as he was set down in his high chair. "Come now, do not give me that look." Michelle sighed at him. "He is still here." She scooted his chair a little closer to his new Alligator friend. Clapping his chubby hands, Sebastian giggled happily.

"He sure does seem to like you." Arinna noted.

"…I…Yes." Leatherhead sniffed, rubbing the back of his head.

* * *

"I'm home!" Nicole called as she entered the apartment. Feeling out of place, Nicole quietly placed down her hat and coat and scanned the room. Nothing seemed different from it at first glance, but something was definitely off.

…And that something would be the fact that her unwanted Alligator guest was no longer on the couch.

"…A-Arinna!" she called. Rushing out of the kitchen, Nicole sighed in relief to find her friend had not been eaten alive yet. "You're safe!"

"What?" Arinna looked puzzled. "Of course I am." Arinna yelped when Nicole pulled her into the small half hallway that connected the living room to the front door.

"Where is it?" she whispered.

"…" Arinna stared at her. "…Where is what?' she whispered back.

"The AllIGaTor." Nicole hissed.

"Oh…"

"Don't "Oh' me, Arinna. Where is it? Did it leave?"  
"In the middle of the day? Of course not." Arinna shook it off. "He is still here. Just so you know, Leatherhead isn't that kind of-"

"Leatherhead?"

"Oh, that is his name."  
"It has a _name?" _Nicole stepped back.  
"Yes. Yes he does. I was talking-" Arinna trailed off. Pointing a finger at her, Nicole's eyes widened.  
"You were what?" she gasped. Arinna flinched, realizing where she went wrong. Unable to answer, she waited for Nicole to explode. Which she did. "You were talking with the alligator?" Nicole threw her hands up. "Oh! Oh no. No. You wouldn't do that. You wouldn't." she backed up, her face pale. "Tell me you didn't feed him." She whispered.

"…I might of." Arinna shrugged.

"Arinna!"  
"He was hungry." Arinna huffed. "He hadn't eaten in forever. And for an alligator, he has excellent table manners." She smiled. Nicole didn't look convinced. She began to pace nervously, folding her arms behind her back.

"So….So then… he didn't attack you when he woke up?" she asked cautiously.

"…" Arinna giggled nervously. "I wouldn't say that exactly."

"So he did?" Nicole yelped in horror.

"Only a little!" Arinna insisted.

"A little?! How can you attack someone _only a little?!" _she demanded in a panicked tone.

"He thought we were trying to hurt him. When we explained he calmed down."

"Oh!" she turned away. "Then that is all that mattes then, isn't it?"

"Nicole." Arinna sighed. "You don't need to have that tone."

"Tone? Oh, this isn't a tone Arinna." She grabbed her friend's shoulders and shook them a little. "I'm panicking!"

"Well don't." Arinna said calmly, taking her friend's hands into her own. "Listen, everything will be fine. I promise. He is really nice. He isn't like other Alligator's Nicole. He is different."  
"…And you know what other Alligator's are like." She frowned.

"No, but I know how this one is."

"You just met him."  
"Call it a gut feeling."

"He could rip our guts right out of our bodies." Nicole shuddered.

"Way to think positive." Arinna snorted. "Just come say hello."  
"No."

"Nicole-"

"I mean it Arinna. I… I can't." Nicole stammered. "This is too much for me."  
"No, it isn't. You can handle this Nicole. You are just letting your fear over rule your decisions. Move past the fear and gulp down a swig of courage. Leap into the teeth of the enemy!"  
"What that supposed to encourage me?" Nicole scowled.

"You know I'm not good with speeches." Arinna nudged her forward. "Come on."

"Ehhhhh." Nicole sobbed.

"Don't be a baby." Forcing Nicole to take a few baby steps towards the kitchen

"O-Okay Arinna."

Nicole froze at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. It wasn't exactly, threatening, but it was still concerning. How could she put this? It was like a teenager going through puberty had some how gotten into her house.

It was freaky that he was in here… yet his voice was squeaking, making it kind of funny.

Standing back, Nicole fell back onto the couch as the Alligator entered the room. Oh gosh…

"Leatherhead." Arinna smiled. "I want you to meet Nicole. The girl I told you about."

Shuffling forward, Leatherhead waved nervously.  
"H-Hello." He greeted.

"…..Ah…." Nicole, who looked as stiff as a board, stared up at LeatherHead with wide eyes.  
"…." Leatherhead blinked a few times.

"Nicole." Arinna quickly cut in. "This is Leather Head. Leather Head, this is Nicole." Hoping to break this awkward silence, Arinna motioned for Nicole to greet Leatherhead back. "Nicole…" her eyes widened. "Nicole?"  
Suddenly her friends eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed onto her side, landing on the pillow the covered the couch.

"Oh boy." Arinna sighed, realizing her friend had fainted.  
"I-I'm sorry." Leatherhead apologized. "Did I do something wrong?"  
"No." Arinna said. "Not at all. Nicole just… she freaks out easily."

"O-Oh." Leatherhead nodded. "I see."

* * *

"Nicole." Michelle said.

"…Hmm?" her friend smiled brightly at her.

"Are you okay?" she inquired.

"Perfectly fine." Nicole giggled as she stared at the cup she was pouring coffee into.

"Well um… you are overflowing there." Michelle motioned to the cup, which was now overflowing with coffee and streaming down Nicole's arm onto the floor.

"…." Nicole didn't react. "….You're right." She smiled. "Hahaha- AH! Burns! Burns!' she yelped tossing the coffee mug onto the table and waving her arm. "Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot!"

Michelle sighed. "I told you." She shook her head.

Nicole moved to the sink, letting out pathetic whimpers and whines as she ran her arm under cold water. "Uncool."

"Serves you right for spacing out." Michelle shook her head.

"…Yeah." Nicole glanced over her shoulder towards the living room. It had been a few hours since she had fainted. Honestly, she wished she could faint again and never wake up, but life didn't work that way. "Is he… still talking with Arinna?"

"If _he _is referring to Leatherhead, than yes." Michelle nodded her head. "Is that a problem?"

"No. Not at all. He can talk with her all day if he wants." Nicole said quickly. "…He can even stay in the living room all he wants and never leave. That is fine too. Just as long as he stays in there and never comes close to me."

"Nicole." Michelle's eyes widened. "I believe that is called 'over reacting."

"I say it is normal reacting." Nicole huffed.

"Leatherhead is rather nice you know." Michelle pointed out.  
"I don't even know how you can possibly think that when he grabbed you by the face." Nicole frowned at her. After she woke up, Michelle and Arinna had explained everything that happened after she left. Including the fact that Leatherhead had attacked Michelle when he first woke up.

"I admit that wasn't a very pleasant experience." Michelle sighed. "However, after hearing his reasoning for doing so, it is a rather understandable reaction."

"Understandable?" Nicole scoffed.

"He was being held prisoner Nicole." Michelle reminded her bluntly. "Enslaved and experimented on. Anyone would react that way if they went through what he did." She looked over her shoulder towards Leatherhead, a pained look in her eyes.

"….I guess." Nicole plopped down into her chair, slumming into it.

"Perhaps you should give him a chance?" her friend suggested hopefully. "You might find that you two get along."

"Eh…."

"Well, I know when not to push." Michelle smiled. "Take your time Nicole. None of us are expecting you to instantly accept this, nor do we want to force you. Just know that Arinna will not be willing to send this boy off on his own any time soon."

"I know that." Nicole sighed. "More than anyone. Arinna has always been like this."

"Is that a problem?"

"No." Nicole shook her head, and she meant it. "It is just… dangerous."

"How so?" Michelle looked curious.

"She gets involved in a lot of things she shouldn't Michelle. Meaning, she gets herself into a lot of dangerous situations. She can't help it, I know. It is practically in her nature to help anyone and everyone…. But not everyone is exactly a good natured soul like she is."

"Ah." Michelle nodded her head in understandement. "I see. This isn't completely about Leatherhead then? You are also concerned for Arinna's well being."

Nicole nodded. "We already have a lot of problems just taking care of Sebastian and Picasso. I'm not saying I don't like them here but…" she rubbed her temple. "Take this as an example. Lets rewind time back to the day you took our picture and discovered the boys."

"Alright." Michelle rested her chin against her hands.

"Say I hadn't caught you, what would you have done?"

Michelle frowned. "I… I am not sure." She admitted. "Honestly, I was so panicked, I ran, not even knowing where I was running too. I suppose you chasing me made me panic and flee."

"Right. I chased you because I knew you were into the news and as a profession, it was your job to take pictures for the public to see."

"Yes."

"Had you been anyone else and I told you not to tell anyone… do you think you would any way?" Nicole inquired.

"I am not sure. I am not anyone else but me."

"Exactly my point. We were lucky you kept your promise Michelle. If you had been anyone else, they may not have kept this promise. I mean, humanoid baby turtles are a huge scoop! Wouldn't you agree?"  
"I would." Michelle nodded.

"Letting the world know about them would be a huge deal to a person's professional career… or even just their social life. And now, we have an Alligator living with us too. This makes things ten times more complicated because and Alligator is not very easy to hide unlike baby turtles."

"I can definitely see your point." Michelle sighed.

"…I know Arinna means well, but she also has to remember that her choices affect both her life… and ours. The more people she brings into that crazy life… well, the more danger there will be."

"You have really thought this through." Michelle noted.

"If I don't, who will?" Nicole snorted.

"So what will you do now?"

"Leave it be for a while… I guess. No matter how much I am against it, there is no way I am going to convince Arinna to kick out that Alligator-"  
"Leatherhead."

"Right." Nicole grumbled. "_Leatherhead. _So-" she continued. "I'll just have to try my best to keep Agatha and anyone else from seeing them, and hope for the best."  
"Sounds like quite a bargain." Michelle smiled.  
"Hey.' Nicole grinned. "Don't think I'm letting you off the hook. You're part of the reason I'm in this mess since you encouraged Arinna. You have to take responsibility for this and help out."  
Michelle's eyes widened. "Meaning?"

"Meaning that you have to make sure none of them get seen or anyone finds out about them. Because if we go down Michelle, we're taking you with us."

"…Lovely." The photographer sighed. Nicole laughed.

* * *

"Nicole, I'm shocked." Arinna gawked. "You've been sitting in here for over 10 minutes and you haven't fainted yet." Not to mention, Nicole had been sitting right across from Leatherhead for that whole time. This had to be some sort of grand achievement!

"…." With a side ways glance, Nicole blinked at Arinna.

"It truly is a miracle." Michelle agreed with a chuckle. "Wouldn't you agree Leatherhead?"

The young Alligator blinked wildly. "Ah… um… y-yes?"

Arinna chuckled. "…Nicole?" she smiled. Her friend didn't say anything. She didn't even blink. "Hey, Nicole?" Arinna inquired, waving her hand infront of her face.

Nicole jumped, looking at Arinna wildly. "Huh? What?"

"You were completely zoned out this whole time, weren't you?" Arinna sighed.

"…Maybe." She mumbled, reaching for her cup. Pausing, she looked up to realize Leatherhead was sitting across from her. "Gah-ha!" she yelped, retracting her hands.

"Nicole." Michelle and Arinna sighed. Leatherhead flinched, twiddling his fingers together.

"S-Sorry!' he stammered. "I didn't mean to frighten you."  
"N…No! No no." Nicole stammered back. "I just… you… I'm not afraid of you, well, not, that is a lie. I am, but I also… I mean.. yeah I would be. You're an, y'know, alligator. With sharp claws and teeth and… could easily eat me alive-" Arinna elbowed her. "Ow, okay, shutting up." Nicole sniffed, snatching her mug up and chugging it.

Arinna rolled her eyes. "What Nicole means to say is that this will just take some time to get use to."

"…Yeah." Nicole mumbled. "That is what I meant."

Lowering his gaze, looking ashamed, Leatherhead nodded. "…Okay…"

The room entering another stage of awkward silence, Nicole slurped up her coffee. The sound of slurping being the only noise within the room made Arinna sigh. This wasn't working out how she had hoped.

And usually it was Nicole who would break these silent moments… but Nicole was the one who was starting it, so who would be the one to break it?  
Well… Oddly enough, Picasso was the one who broke it. And he couldn't even speak.

…Till now.

"Na! Na!" Picasso crawled into the area, squeaking loudly. "Na! Na!" he continued to squeak, circling the table until he located Nicole's feet. Crawling onto them he pulled on her pant leg. Still sipping her coffee, Nicole looked down at him.

"Naca!" he headbuted her ankle.

"Ow." She grunted. "What do you want Pica?"

"Ka! Ik!" he giggled, circling her foot and smacking her toes.

"…" everyone stared in silence, chuckling slightly.

"Icka!" he nawed on her ankle.

"Gross." She stuck out her tongue at the feel of his gums. "Really gross- ow!" she yelped when something sharp dug into her skin. "What in the world-?" placing down her cup she scooped up the little turtle. "What the shell Pica?" she grumbled. "Give me your mouth." Reaching for him she struggled to look into his mouth to see what in the world that was. "Come on, open up."

He shook his head away from her, clamping his mouth shut. Frowning, she grab his little chin and turned his face towards her. Reaching forward she gently squeezed his cheeks and open his mouth. Peeking inside, she stared at the few little tiny white spots the were starting to peek out from his gums.

"What is it?" Michelle inquired.

"His teeth are coming in." She noted. "Great, he's gonna start teething now."

"That's great." Arinna grinned.

"He sure is growing up fast." Michelle mused.

"Yeah, it is kind of sad." Arinna sniffed. Rolling her eyes, Nicole looked at Picasso with a smile.

"Ain't that great, Pica?" she said. Picasso looked up at her with wide eyes, opening his mouth to stare at her.

"Nicka!" Picasso clapped.

"…."

Barely catching the mug that slipped from Michelle's hand, Arinna gawked at the small baby. "Did he just-?" she trailed off to give her friend a look of awe.

"Say it again!" Nicole lifted Picasso a little closer. "Come on Pica, say it again." She grinned.

"….Nicka." Picasso wiggled his toes.

The girls began to squeal, clapping. "He's speaking!" Michelle cheered.

"…Is that… a good thing?' leatherhead inquired quietly.

"Good thing?" Arinna looked at him. "Good thing? This is a great thing!"

"That a boy Pica!" Nicole leapt up, lifting the small turtle high into the air. "Can you say Nicole?"

"Nicka." He repeated.  
"Close enough." She nodded.

"What about Arinna?" Arinna smiled.

Picasso stared at her, confused. "…Ar…na." he said.

"Aww, you were close little one." She cooed. Chuckling, Michelle reached down to scoop up Sebastian.

"I wonder if Sebastian can speak as well?" she said.

"I don't think his baby teeth have even started growing in yet." Nicole shrugged. "We might have to wait a while longer."  
"That is fine." Arinna patted the baby's head. "We can wait for as long as he needs."

* * *

**YAY! Everyone! I'm back! I'm finally back! I'm so happy! And the best thing, I've already got the next chapter almost done. I might just post the next chapter tomorrow. Who knows :D**

**Anyway, yup! Leatherhead is officially introduced, and little Picasso has begun to grow. :D I really want Sebastian and him to start talking soon :D Little kids talking is just adorable. **

**Alright, I'll give you guys a heads up on which character we are introducing next. THE NEXT OC ON THE LIST IS... (drum roll please~)**

**Nicole: No**

**Me: Wha- come on, just give me one little drum roll **

**Nicole: No -_-**

**Me: ... Jerk -_- I'll do it myself (Drum roll) THE NEXT OC IS... ELIZABETH, who is owned by Koraru Kinomoto :D**

_IMPORTANT MESSAGE: This is to the Yellowskies9. You didn't send in your character when you were signed in so I wasn't able to message you back or anything. Which is fine but... about what you asked to happen. I do really like your OC Douglas. I think he is cool :D However... About the thing you mentioned with Arinna. About her falling in love with him. _

_I want to say I wouldn't have a problem with that, but I kind of do. I don't know how to explain this. I have literally never given Arinna a love interest. Ever. _

_So.. I don't know how to feel about her sudden given one. Plus, you didn't give any information on how you would want her to fall in love. It was just "she loves him and asks him to live with her"_

_So do you want, like, love at first sight? Or... something? I'm honestly really trying to be cooperative here and not just flat out say No to what you want but it is hard for me. So! I would appreciate it if you could message me and we can talk this out :D Thanks. _


	7. Elizabeth Part 1

**YEAH! A new OC is about to be introduced everyone! I'm so excited. And this chapter is definitely action packed!**

Arinna couldn't help but snicker as she watched Nicole slowly creep into the room. From the looks of it, Nicole was trying to look as casual as possible as she did this, but it was practically impossible with how panicked she looked.

"Good Morning Nicole." Arinna waved.

"… Morning." She gave the place a look around. "So um… where is everybody?" she sniffed, _casually _leaning against the table.

"Oh Sebastian was a little cranky so he is napping." Arinna announced. "Picasso is with Michelle in her apartment room."  
"Mm-hmm." Nicole nodded her head a few times. "And um…. The uh… the other one?" she squeaked out

"…I'm sorry, who are you referring to?" Arinna smirked.  
"You know… our new guest." Nicole added.  
Arinna raised her eye brow, acting completely oblivious to what Nicole was trying to say. "I'm sorry what?"

"You know who I mean Arinna!" Nicole hissed.

"Oh!" Arinna suddenly waved. "Hello Leatherhead."  
"Hello Arinna." Leatherhead said, as he exited the kitchen… right behind Nicole.

"AHHHH!" she screamed spazzing a few seconds before fleeing to her room.

"Hahahahah!" Arinna laughed.  
"D-Did I say something wrong?" Leatherhead inquired.

"No she's just… hahaha… allergic to orange juice." She pointed to the juice Leatherhead had in his hands.

"Oh!" looked ashamed in himself Leatherhead quickly placed the orange juice down.

* * *

"AHHHHHH!"

The days following Leatherhead's arrival, the house was often filled with Nicole's startled and horrified screams.

"Ms. Nicole-" Leatherhead called to her.

"Hah! Ga-ha-AHH!" she yelped, opening the closet, stepping inside, and closing it behind herself.

"…" Slowly inching to the door, Leatherhead hesitantly reached forward, knocking on it. "Um… Ms. Nicole?"

"I'm afraid Nicole isn't here at the moment." Nicole said from behind the door, her voice sound disturbingly chipper. "Please leave a message and she will get back to you later. Beeeepppppp."

"…Okay?" Leatherhead slowly stepped away from the door and returned to the kitchen. From the couch however, Arinna was trying her best to hide her snickers behind the newspapers she was reading.

"You'll get use to him eventually Nicole.' She called to the closet, trying to keep the laughter out of her tone.

"I'm afraid Nicole isn't here right now." Nicole repeated, her voice sounded gruff compared to the last time. "Please leave a message and she kill you later, you jerk."  
Arinna cackled. "Come on Nicole. He is trying to get to know you. At least you could try to get to know him back. Or at least look at his face without screaming. You're a total baby."

"I am not!" Nicole opened the door to glare at her.

"You are too."

"I can look at his face if I want to." She insisted.

"Really?" Arinna challenged. "Go ahead then. Do it." She pointed to her right.

"I- AGHAHHHHHHHHH!" realizing he had re-entered the room, she slammed the door shut.

Rolling her eyes, Arinna looked back at her Newspaper. If anything good came out of this, she was always able to tell what room Nicole and Leatherhead were in together because of the screaming.

She was honestly shocked Agatha hadn't come up here yet to see what in the world all the racket was about.

* * *

It was early.

It was painfully early, Nicole had decided. 5 A.M was a time no one should be waking up. In spite of Arinna's belief that Nicole was nocturnal since she stayed up rather late, Nicole was still a person who required 7 to 8 hours of sleep a day. So you can see how frustrating it was to her when she woke up 2 hours after falling asleep.

2 hours, and she couldn't get back to sleep.

Jerking her covers off, Nicole sat up. Feeling an all-encompassing pain surrounding her, she groaned. Her ears were roaring, eyes burning, and something foul lingered in her mouth that she could not place.

She absentmindedly thanked Arinna for offering to let Picasso sleep with her the night before, knowing Nicole would be staying up late to finish her online college classes. Had that little turtle been in here now, Nicole was positive she would have woken him up, and would have had to deal with his siren like cries.

Deciding Coffee would be the best way to go about the day, Nicole trudged out of her room and into the small apartment kitchen she owned. Placing a packet into the machine and putting her mug below, she pressed Brew and waiting anxiously for her coffee to arrive.

Yawning, she scanned her apartment. Stretching her arms back, Nicole arched her back in attempt to pop the knots that had formed during sleep. Feeling them pop she practically purred in satisfaction.

This wasn't the first time she had only gotten a few measly hours of sleep. In fact, having become a medical student, Nicole had realized that she had a mild case on insomnia most nights. She just couldn't sleep sometimes. It was strange.

Maybe all the years of stress building up in her system? Perhaps.

Grabbing her mug of coffee, Nicole turned towards the table. "Geh!" she flinched at the sight of something moving on the couch. "GAH-" covering her mouth before she could let out the scream, she bit her lip. _Hold it in!_

Oh yeah…. _He _was still here.

The Alligator. Or as Arinna and Michelle have named him… Leather Head.  
Realizing he had only shifted in his sleep and was not yet away, Nicole quickly stumbled back and fled back to her room. It had been 8 days since they found that… that _kid. _

Arinna assured her she would get use to him with time, but Nicole knew other wise. She would never get use to him being here!

Chugging down her coffee, Nicole moved to her closet to change. It was early, but at least she could take this moment to finish some errands she had been holding off.

Scribbling a note to let everyone know where she went, Nicole placed it on the counter. Tip-toeing past the giant beast Arinna called their house guest, she moved down the hall to her shoes. Throwing them on, she had barely just opened the door when she heard some movement behind her.

"Ms. Nicole?" the voice spoke. She froze. Oh gosh… she woke him up.

"GCK!" she jumped. "…." Hesitantly she turned around. "….Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." she opened her mouth and let out what sounded like some ghostly groan. Leatherhead stared at, very confused.

"Is… something wrong?" he inquired.

"No… Nope. I'm fine. Peachy. Just peachy. Yeah…." She gulped. H-Hey… Leatherhead." She greeted shakily.

"It is very early." Leatherhead said softly, moving a little closer to her so the light from the hall would reveal his face. "Are you going out?" he frowned.

"….Yes." she shifted her gaze nervously. Turning to leave, she flinched when he stammered out.  
"W-When will you be back?"

"Later."

"O-Oh. Okay." He nodded meekly. They stood there, staring at each other. It was awkward. Disturbingly awkward. And gross. Seriously, Nicole was starting to sweat and it was gross. She wasn't even joking, there was some serious sweating going on.

Like… profusely sweating.

"So um… Yeah I need to go and um… get ride of my excessive sweating problem." She waved, feeling the sweat drip down her forehead.

"Your… what?" The alligator stammered out.

"Yeah, it's an issue. I really bad issue. It's… contagious too! Yeah, contagious. I would keep your distance for a while just to be safe." She motioned for him to step back a few paces.

Blinking, Leatherhead did as commanded and stepped back. "Will you be alright?"

"Yeah. Just gotta… y'know, freeze it over. Dive head first into a freezer or something." She rambled, scrambling to unlock the front door. Stupid sweaty and shaky hands!

Arinna could laugh all she wanted, but this was a serious issue! Lets see her live with the very thing she feared all her life! See how she likes that!

"Well then…Bye-bye." He waved back. She knew if Arinna was here she would have said it was cute… but it really wasn't to Nicole.

She hadn't run out of her apartment that fast since she accidentally set the fire alarm off.

Now officially free from the anxiety attack known as her house, Nicole felt a nice sense of calm wash over her as she moved down the streets of New York. And her yucky sweating had stopped!

That was really weird too. That has never happened to her before. Was that called nervous sweating? She wasn't sure. Thank the bread gods it stopped though.

Now all she had to worry about were the streets of New York. She never felt fear while walking through these streets, even if they were sometimes filled with crime.

She wasn't some weak little damsel in distress that couldn't defend herself. She dared those criminals to come at her. Especially those stupid Purple Dragons. She's beat them up a few times before with no problems.

Honestly those little brats.

Shaking her head a few times Nicole turned the corner to head towards her shop. She could at least make a few things for Vanessa before she got there and help to for the day.

Perhaps she should consider hiring some more people to help out at the shop? She hated leaving Vanessa there alone all the time.

Yeah, she could put an ad in the papers or something. That was probably the best way to get it out there. She should talk to Michelle about it.

* * *

8 hours had passed since Nicole left the house. Her watch officially striking 2 P.M Nicole considered heading back home to check on everyone. She had done her errands and stopped by the shop, so she didn't really have anything else to do.

She could even drop off some cake for Agatha. She always enjoyed Nicole's cake.

Placing a few pieces into a box and wrapping it up, Nicole stuffed a few cookie bags in her pocket.

"I'm heading off Vanessa." She called.

"Okay Nicole." Vanessa smiled as she gently patted Alexis' back. "Thank you again for letting Alexis stay here while I work."  
"Hey, there isn't a problem at all." Nicole assured her. "The customers love her anyway, even if she is a super creepy baby. She's a great way to draw in other mothers and elderly." Nicole snickered.

"Great to know my daughter is simply advertisement for you." Vanessa frowned.

"I'm kidding." Nicole chuckled. "By the way has she started talking yet?"

"Yes actually." Vanessa grinned brightly. "Alexis sweetheart." She turned to her daughter. "Say, Mama."

Alexis turned to stare at her Mother with wide eyes, not sure what was being asked of her.

"Mama." Vanessa repeated.

Finding Vanessa's face some how amusing, Alexis giggled. "Ma-Ma." She clapped.

"That's my girl!" Vanessa cheered. "Who's such a smart girl. You are." She cooed.

Rolling her eyes, Nicole chuckled. "Oh hey, I was thinking about hiring someone new to help you out here at the shop since I've been gone for so long." She announced.  
"Really?" Vanessa's eyes widened. "That would be a great help."  
"Yeah. Any suggestions?"

"Someone who can actually make what we are selling would be a big help." Vanessa sighed.

"Yeah, true." Nicole nodded. "I'll look into it." She said as she placed on her coat. "Don't work too hard now. I'll be back in a few hours… probably."

"You probably won't." Vanessa rolled her eyes.

"Hey, it is a Wednesday. We never have customers on these days."  
"Yeah, that is the point. I'll be bored." Vanessa huffed.

"You can close early if there really aren't that many people." Nicole chuckled as she opened the door and left. "Bye!"  
"Bye!"

Chuckling to herself for a few minutes as she started her way home, Nicole pulled out a notepad and began to scribble down some ideas for an Ad. What kind of person did she want to help out in the store? Someone like Vanessa would be lovely. But there were a lot of different type of workers out there and she didn't want to be too picky. Someone who would definitely take the job seriously would be nice.

And had a little experience in the kitchen. Yeah, that would be nice.

Oh and also-

**BAAM**

"AH!" Nicole yelped as something rammed into her knees, taking her out. Slamming face first into the ground, Nicole lifted herself up with a growl of anger. "What the shell!?" she screamed over her shoulder at whoever knocked her down. "Watch where you are going-" she trailed off as her gaze fell upon a small 5 year old girl, who was sniffing and hiccupping wildly, rubbing at her small face… that had tears streaming down them. "Ghh." Nicole flinched at the sight.

Oh great… had she mentioned she was terrible with kids, especially when they were crying. "Uh… um… little girl?" she asked tentatively. The small child flinched, looking up at Nicole with wide and panicked eyes. "Are you alright?"

The girl shook her head a few times, looking around as if she was afraid something would jump out and scare her. "Bad men… bad men…" she whimpered.

"Bad-" Nicole narrowed her eyes, giving the area a good look around. "Is a bad man chasing you?" she inquired. "Little girl, where are your parents? Are they close? Did you get lost?"  
"No… No, no no! Bad men! Run away!" the girl was starting to get hysteric.

"Little girl, hey, hey." Nicole said, hoping to calm her down. "It is alright. You are alright now. Just, tell me what happened."  
"Bad Man… The Shredder… the Evil Shredder…" The girl sobbed into her hands.

"An… evil shredder?" Nicole frowned, sighing. "Okay." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "So there is some sort of evil shredder, but where are your parents?"  
"No parent… masked man…. Vader… Vader freed me. Gotta get away."

"…Huh?" Nicole was struggling through this conversation. She had to get this straight. So a man named Darth Vader saved her from a shredder that was wearing a mask? Is that what this little girl was trying to say? "Little girl, I'm sorry, I don't understand what you are talking about." She said honestly. "How about we go to the nearest police station and try to find your parents?" The girl just shook her head, as if the proposal was useless. Nicole sighed and scratched her head. "Hey, come on, please don't cry. What is your name? I'm Nicole." She pointed to herself.

Sniffing a few time, the girl raised her eyes, revealing wide hazel eyes and light brown hair. "E…El.." she hiccupped. "Elizabeth." She whispered.

"Hey there Elizabeth." Nicole smiled. "How about we go and find some authorities, okay? The police?"

Jumping at the very sound of Nicole's suggestion, Elizabeth began to shake her head. "N-No!" she stammered.

"No?" Nicole frowned. "I'm sure they could help you find your parents."

"No!" the girl wailed again. A movement of silence washed over the two, leaving only Elizabeth's gently hiccups and tiny sobs to fill in the spaces. Not sure what to do and realizing she probably wasn't going to understand this little girl anytime soon, Nicole sighed.

"Okay so um…" what else could she possibly do besides call the police? Call the fire department?

If what this girl said was true and there was some weirdo chasing her then she had an obligation to call the police to help. Or at least make sure this little girl got home safely. "Where do you live Elizabeth? I can take you home back to your family, okay?"

Her eyes red and puffy, Elizabeth mumbled something incoherent and shook her head. Yeah, Nicole was gonna get nothing helpful out of this kid, was she?

"Elizabeth you aren't really helping me out here." She sighed honestly. "I don't know how to help you unless you give me something to work with."

"…Help?" Elizabeth frowned. "Why would… would you w-wanna help?" she sniffled.

"…Well why wouldn't I?" Nicole questioned.

"Because…" Elizabeth took a step back. "I'm a bad girl. I'm bad." She whispered quietly.

"… Elizabeth, you have once again lost me." Nicole said. "I really don't understand anything that you are telling me."  
"No one understands…. No one." Elizabeth hiccupped, the tears the dripped from her chin began to dry, leaving her face feeling crusty. Clearing her throat, the small girl whipped her hands by using her pants. 'I'm sorry I bumped into ya."

Slowly, with disbelieving confusion, Nicole shrugged. "It's okay. It's New York. That happens all the time." And apparently Nicole and Arinna running into a lot of strange folk was also starting to become something that was normal.

"Elizabeth-" before Nicole could make another sound, the younger child gasped. As if just noticing something behind her, she turned around to look towards the streets.

"They're here…." She whispered. Oh gosh, Nicole just got a terrible flash from the movie _Poltergeist. _

"Uh…" she gulped. "W-Who is here, exactly?" she questioned.

"… Bad men." The girl whispered. With a shriek, she stumbled back when a man leapt down from the fire escape below, landing a few feet in front of them.

"Bad men!" Elizabeth exclaimed running straight into Nicole's arms. Nicole, who was too lost for words, stumbled back, keeping a strong grip on the girl in her arms.

More and more men began to pile out from behind dumpsters and the roofs. They surrounded the girls, like they were their pray.

"What in the world? Who are you guys?!" she demanded. They didn't answer, and instead, charged at her. "Ahh!" she let out a yell and dove to the right, just as one tried to swipe at her with their blade. A real and very deadly katana blade.

Why would they have Katana blades?! Were they Ninja's or something? Counting on the fact that they were dressed in their pajamas like it was Halloween they might as well be Ninjas!

Feeling herself stumble over her own feet, Nicole hit the wall with a painful thump. Using that as leverage, she caught herself and pushed herself back, keeping Elizabeth in a tight embrace.

These men were trying to kill her.

"Bad men." Nicole began to nod in realization, backing up.

They all moved towards her, their eyes narrowed, ready to strike and kill. Nicole never really thought she was defenseless, heavens no, but in this situation…. She kind of was. Unlike them, Nicole had no weapons so…

She needed a plan.

"Well, as they say, if you can't beat them… RUN AWAY!" Nicole lifted Elizabeth over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes and booked it down the road.

The next few minutes flew by in a blur, similar to how the buildings did as she passed them. Nicole never looked back after she ran. She didn't have to, to know that they were right on her heels. Some where even up above on the roofs.

Seriously, was Elizabeth part of some sort of Mafia or something?! Daughter of the President?! Why were all these guys after her?!

"Hold on tight Elizabeth." Nicole called as she leapt over a few trash cans that were in her path. The younger girl squeaked, her grip growing a little tighter.

Nicole's breath sobbing from her chest, she forced herself to run faster. The sound of crunching gravel behind her was her only indication that the men were beginning to catch up to her. In times like this she wished she had done track over going into medicine and cooking.

The pounding in her heart was making her chest burn. She had to loose these guys. She wasn't fast enough to do that though.

That didn't mean she didn't have a few tricks up her sleeve.

"Elizabeth… Hold on, okay?" she gasped out. "We're taking a short cut!"

"Huh?" the girl squeaked when Nicole suddenly took a sharp turn into an upcoming Alley. Sliding through the back street, slamming down into a puddle of water as she went, Nicole took another turn, then another.

Stumbling over a few broken bottles, Nicole grabbed a light post to help her swing into another alley. With her speed, she was certain she would have slipped if she had tried to take that turn on alone.

"Here!" Nicole reached into her back for the cake she had intended to give to Agatha. Sorry Agatha, perhaps another time. "Take this!" she handed it up to Elizabeth.

Scrambling to grab it, Elizabeth held it awkwardly in her hands, looking back and forth from Nicole to the Foot behind them.

"N-Now what?" she stammered.

"We'll be approaching a few gang looking fella's here in approximately 20 seconds. Throw that at them." Nicole commanded.

"What?" the girl gasped.  
"Just do it!"

Elizabeth didn't know why she did what Nicole told her to do, but when those 4 weirdly dressed gang member guys came into view, Elizabeth threw the cake with all her might. With pin-point accuracy, she slammed that cake straight into the leader's face.

"HAH!" Nicole cackled. "Take that Purple Dragons!" she cackled.

"NICOLE!" the man roared, stepping out into the street, only to slam into three different foot Ninja's seconds later. "HEY!" Nicole heard the leader growl angry. "Watch were you are going you Pajama freaks!"

Apparently the "Pajama freaks" didn't take that insult too well, because a few of them actually stopped to pick a fight with the Purple Dragons.

"Dumbo's." Nicole snorted, taking a few more turns before she slide behind a dumpster. Crouching to the ground, and keeping as close to the shadows as possible, Nicole covered both her own mouth and Elizabeth's when the remaining men wearing black passed. Glaring at them as the leapt up towards the next street, Nicole slowly lowered her hands.

"…." She glanced at Elizabeth, who stared at her in awe. "….Heh." Letting out a large sigh of relief, Nicole slide to the ground, holding the girl tightly in her arms. Breathing heavily, her chest burning, head spinning, and legs shaking terribly from her whole endeavor, Nicole let out a small, and rather pathetic, cheer of victory. "Yeah, wahoo. Go team… victory… ah…." She gasped for breath.

Elizabeth, who had been so quiet the whole time, slowly looked up to Nicole with wide eyes.

"Let's not… do that again… okay… Elizabeth?" Nicole turned her head to the small girl, grinning widely. "Right?"

Elizabeth blinked a few times, shocked. "…Why…? Why did you do… all of that?" she asked in a quiet voice.  
"Do what?" Nicole breathed out, slowly catching her breath.

"…Help me?"

Nicole blinked a few times, staring at the girl. Again with that question. "Well, why wouldn't I? Do I need a reason to help a person?" Nicole placed the little girl on the ground in front of her. "Here, give me your hands." She had noticed before that this little one's hands were bruised and scratched, but hadn't had the chance to really get a good look at them before.

Hesitant, Elizabeth held out her hands. Taking them into her own, Nicole pulled out some disinfectant and bandages from her bad. Placing the disinfectant on her small child's hands, Nicole began to wrap them in bandages.

"…You have medicine?" Elizabeth was astonished. "Are you… a Doctor?"

"Doctor in training. I'm going to school for it right now. With the people I live with, it has kind of become a habit for me to be as prepared as possible. You never know when someone might need help." Nicole smiled kindly. "There." She tied the bandages. "Here, I'll get your leg too."  
"T…Thank you." Elizabeth said, holding out her leg. Wrapping that as well, Nicole grinned.

"There, all better." She paused to look out from behind the trash can. "I think those weirdoes are gone. We should head to the police-"

Elizabeth reached up to grab a hold of Nicole's sleeve. "No!' she gasped. Jumping, not expecting that reaction, Nicole stared at the girl.  
"…What?"

"Police… they can't do anything… They never done anything!" The girl insisted, tightening her grip. "I don't… I don't have a mommy or a daddy…." She stammered softly. "I don't have no last name. Police never help me. They will just put me in a scary new house filled with other kids with no mommy's or daddy's!" the girl began to yell. "Than the Shredder will find me and take me back! He'll make me do bad things again and hurt people! I don't wanna!"

"Hey… Hey, hey." Nicole grabbed her hands. "Okay, okay I get it. No police. Just calm down."  
"I can't! I can't! I-" Elizabeth cut herself off when Nicole placed a lollipop in front of the younger girl's face.

"Calm down." Nicole flicked her nose gently with the lollipop. Her Father did this with her when she was upset, so she was certain it would have the same affect on Elizabeth. "No police, I promise. We'll figure something out. You just have to calm down and take a deep breath. Can you do that for me Elizabeth?"

"A big… breath?" Elizabeth sniffled, staring at the lollipop in awe.

"Yeah, like this." Nicole inhaled then exhaled. Staring at Nicole as if she was crazy, Elizabeth slowly repeated the action. Taking a large breath, she held it for a few seconds before letting it out, her shoulder's trembling at the action.

"One more." Nicole patted Elizabeth's head. Not expecting the action, Elizabeth blushed and did it again. She felt… calm and warm.

She couldn't' understand this woman in front of her. Why was she so kind? Why did she feel so safe with Nicole?

"Better?" Nicole chuckled. Elizabeth nodded shyly.

"Good." Jumping to her feet, Nicole scanned the perimeter. "The coast seems to be clear. Let's move." She motioned for Elizabeth to following.

* * *

"You know, Arinna is gonna laugh when she meets you." Nicole announced out of nowhere.

"Huh?" Elizabeth frowned. "…Ariana?"

"Arinna." Nicole corrected. "She is my friend. She is gonna laugh when she meets you."  
"…Why?" Elizabeth frowned. "Do I look funny?"  
"No. But it is just the fact that I found you and you needed help that will make her laugh."

"…I don't understand."

"Arinna always finds… um… _strays. _And she always brings them home and I always question her about it. This is the first time I've found my own little stray." Nicole explained. Though it was her that brought Michelle into this whole situation, Nicole didn't exactly count that one because she kind of had to knock Michelle out and drag her into it…. So whatever.

"I'm a stray?" Elizabeth inquired.  
"Kind of." Nicole chuckled.  
"Then… will you bring me home?" the young girl asked softly. Nicole almost stopped walking and had to pause to consider a proper answer.

"Well… I dunno, I guess. You don't want to go to the police right? So I guess the only place left to go is my place. If you are okay with that of course."

"I'm okay with that." Elizabeth nodded. "I don't got no friends or family."

"…Don't say that with such a chipper tone." Nicole sighed, patting her head. "It is just sad."

"Really?" she titled her head.  
"Yeah." Nicole said bluntly. "And I mean, you have some friends."

"I don't." Elizabeth frowned.  
"That has got to be a lie. You must have some friends. Like um… who was that guy you mentioned before?"

"Guy?"

"Darth Vader or whatever."  
"Vader." She smiled.  
"Ah see, right there. You said he helped you _escape _or whatever. He is probably a friend, right?" Nicole pointed to her. Pausing, as if only realizing it herself, she gasped.  
"I do have a friend!"

Nicole laughed. "Told you. Think he might be able to help? You could stay with him since you know him." Nicole said.

Frowning, Elizabeth shook her head. "He'll be going back to Japan." She mumbled.

"Japan?" Nicole's eyes doubled in size. "Why is he going there?"  
"He lives there." She answered simply.

"…Oh… So then, why was he here?"

"Helping train newbies."

"…Okay we seriously gotta discuss what kind of weird stuff you are involved in so I can wrap my mind around this situation." Nicole shook her head. "My brain is feeling friend. I need some brain food!"

"Food?" Elizabeth instantly patted her belly, looking like she could eat an entire cow.

"Yes! Food." Nicole declared. I'm gonna buy you some food. You look like you haven't eaten in weeks." She said "What would you like?"

Elizabeth wasn't sure how to answer. "A…Anything?" she said, unsure. Nicole let out a laugh.

"Alright than, we'll just walk and see what we find."

* * *

"There ya go." Nicole placed the burger in front of the younger girl. Staring at it curiously, Elizabeth lifting it up. Tilting her head, she took a hesitant bite.

"HMM!' her eyes widened. "It is good!" she gasped.

"Haha, right?" Nicole grinned. Munching on her own burger for a bit, Nicole glanced to the clock.

5:30

Had it really already been almost 3 hours? Jeez, how time randomly flew by.

"Hey Elizabeth, will you excuse me for a second?" Nicole inquired.

"Why?" the younger girl asked. "You haven't done nothing wrong."

"Huh? I- wait no. What I meant was… can I make a call?" she pointed to the phones. Staring at them, Elizabeth frowned.

"Why?"  
"I need to call my friend Arinna." Nicole explained. "I told her I would be back a while ago but then those guys started chasing us. I want to call to tell her I am okay."

"Oh." Elizabeth nodded her head a few times. "Okay."

Smiling, Nicole left the table and quickly shuffled to the phones. Keeping a close eye on Elizabeth as she dialed the number, she leaned into the wall. Lifting the pay phone to her ear, Nicole glanced around the corner at the Elizabeth, who was stull munching happily on the burger. "Arinna?" she said as soon as someone picked up on the other line.  
"_Nicole? Hey there. You forgot your phone at home, didn't you?"_

"Yes, I did." Nicole sighed. "Listen, I got a problem. Something happened, and I don't know what to do."

_"What? Are you alright?" _her friend sounded worried.

"I'm fine, but… I ran into a little girl."

_"A little girl?"  
_"Yeah, at first I thought she was lost… but then she started to say some weird things. About some Shredder guy using her to hurt people or something and Darth Vader saving her."

"…_Darth Vader? Shredder? Uh…"_

"I should mention this girl is like 5 or something. So I don't know what is real and what isn't. What I do know is that someone is definitely after her. These weirdoes tried to grab her. We got away, but I don't want to leave her alone. I don't know where her parent's are… actually, she says she doesn't have any."  
"_Oh my gosh." _Arinna whispered.

"Yeah, so now you see my problem. What do I do?"  
"_You could bring her to the Police-"  
"_I can't."

"_Huh?"_

"I… I promised her." Nicole pinched the bridge of her nose. "She was freaking out and panicking so I promised her I wouldn't take her to the police. She didn't want to go and was worried they'd put her in a Foster Home and that his weirdo Shredder person would come find her and take her away again." Nicole pressed her forehead to the wall, gently bumping it against it, silently cursing her stupidity, "…Now I'm stuck with her, not knowing what to do."

"_Nicole." _Arinna sighed.

"I know it was a stupid thing to do but what else could I have done?" Nicole huffed. "You know better than anyone how it is to not want to go to an orphanage Arinna."

The other line was quite. "…._Yeah, I do."_

_"_So, what do I do?"  
Arinna sighed on the other end. "_I'm not sure Nicole. You definitely can't leave her alone if someone is after her. Are you sure she doesn't have any friends or family."  
_"She says she doesn't have either. Honestly, I'm tempted to bring her back to the apartment."  
"_That actually might be the best thing to do for now, at least till we can figure out what is going on."  
"_Yeah but…" Nicole trailed off. "We have other guests in the house."  
"_…Oh yeah."  
"Oh yeah." _Nicole mimicked in a condescending tone. "I doubt this little girl would be very… understanding if we suddenly introduced her to a lot of strange mutants."  
"_Well she is 5, you never know."  
"_Arinna."  
"_Right. Right. I can keep the boys and Leatherhead hidden at Michelle's before you both arrive. They can stay there for a couple days."  
_"Hmm, okay, yeah. That sounds like a plan."

"_Great! Oh! What's the girl's name by the way?"_

_"_Elizabeth."

"_She sounds precious. I can't wait to meet her. Be careful coming back home though."_

_"_I will. See you later."

"_See you later."  
"_Bye."  
"_Bye-bye."_

**_YEAH NEW CHAPTERS! So, I'm not sure when I'm gonna be able to update this story again, but I promise it will definitely be within the next week... or two. Either one. 0.0 _**

**_By the way, the character Elizabeth belongs to Koraru Kinomoto.:D I hope you liked this chapter! I really enjoyed writing it! :D_**

**_Yup, so HEY, Nicole needs some more help at the Bakery shop. So if some on you who have already sent in a character to me would like to introduce your character that way, just let me know, okay? _**

**_...THE FIRST SIGHTING OF THE FOOT AND VADER! OH MY GOSH. The intensness! (Yes, that is obviously a word) _**


	8. Elizabeth part 2

"You know, this whole situation played out so much better in my head.' Nicole sighed as she adjusted the neon green plastic wig on her head.

"It makes my head feel funny." Elizabeth frowned as she moved the plastic wig back and forth.

"You do kind of look like Elvis." Nicole nodded as she stared at the 5 year old. "That aside though, these will have to do."

_"_For what?" the younger child questioned softly, "I don't really understand what we are doing. This doesn't make sense." She announced, pulled at her long jacket Nicole bought for her.

"We are in disguise." Nicole answered. "We can't let those creeps from before notice us. Who knows if they are still out there."

"They probably are. They are dangerous and horrid people. They always lurk in the shadows." Elizabeth mumbled to herself. Staring at the 5 year old, Nicole folded her arms.

"Ya know, for a 5 year old, you definitely don't seem like a 5 year old." She announced.

"But I am 5." Elizabeth blinked.  
"That is almost debatable, but I'll believe you for now." Nicole nodded. "That aside, I have a plan."

"A plan?"

"Basically we just have to make it back to my place without being spotted by those creepy pajama guys." Nicole explained, glancing out the window a few times. The sun had begun to set. It would be dark soon enough, and trying to spot men dressed in black in the dark would be hard to do.

"They are called the Foot." Elizabeth said softly.

"Right… Feet people." Nicole frowned.

"No, just Foot."

"But there are a lot of them. So it changes to Feet."

"…No." Elizabeth looked confused. "It doesn't… change. Does it?" her eyes grew wide.

"Well it doesn't matter, we just have to avoid them."

"Okay. How?"  
"We keep low and try to act casual. I mean, look at these disguises, they are perfect!"

"Hmm… I don't know." Elizabeth glanced at herself in the mirror. "I feel kind of silly."

"Nonsense." Nicole insisted. "Lets just go." Opening the door that lead out of the shop she paused. "Oh um-" she stopped, almost making Elizabeth run into her from behind. "Before we go, I feel like I should warn you."  
"Warn me?" Elizabeth frowned. "Of… what?" she asked cautiously.

"It is nothing bad just… um… the people I live with are kind of… _odd.' _She winced.

"Odd?"  
"Yeah, like, they are really strange. So, don't freak out when you see them, okay?"

Titling her head, the child nodded slowly. "Okay." She agreed. "They can't be too bad though."

"Yeah, you say that now, but you haven't met them yet. They are real weirdoes."  
"I've seen a lot of weird things." Elizabeth announced.  
"Even so-" Nicole glanced up and down the street. "Come on, lets go." Motioning for her to follow, the two moved shuffled down the side walk.

Nicole had never had to be so observant of her surroundings in her whole life. She was so paranoid that she literally scooted away from every stranger they passed by on the streets.

"How far away is your house?" Elizabeth inquired.

"A good mile and a half." Nicole answered. "It shouldn't take us too long to get there."

"When we get there, what will we do."  
"Uh… sit down and have some coffee. Or tea. Probably some juice since you are only 5." Nicole tilted her head. "5 year olds like juice, right?"  
"…I like juice."

"Great, then juice it is."

Suddenly sticking her hand out, the two paused when they came to a railroad towards the side of town. Glancing both ways, motioned for Elizabeth to follow.

"Do you travel around New York often Elizabeth?" she inquired.

"No. I'm never allowed outside."

"What, seriously?" Nicole couldn't believe her ears. A 5 year old not allowed to go outside? That sounded insane. "Well, forget that. Welcome to the outside world Elizabeth."

The small child cracked a tiny grin, nodding her head. "It is nice."

"Yeah it is. I mean like, look at all the buildings." She motioned around, trying to sound optimistic. "They are like, super big."

Elizabeth suddenly giggled.

"Hey, no laughing. I'm being serious here. But I mean, buildings are great. You can't really see any stars though, that is the sad thing. Stars are pretty, even if they really are just giant balls of gas."  
The young girl covered her mouth. "Gas."

"Not that kind of gas!" Nicole cackled, nudging the girl. "Different gas. Like the gas our sun is made out of. Did you know that the stars are really just suns. They are Suns that are really far away, but they are so bright, we can still see them from here."

"I didn't know that." Elizabeth looked to the sky with wide eyes.

"Well there you go, a little fact for the day." Nicole patted her head. "Oh, here is another one. Ever see lightning?"  
"Of course."

"Well, did you know that a Lightning bolt generates temperatures 5 times hotter than those found on the Sun's surface?"

"Really?" Elizabeth titled her head.

"Yeah. So try to never get hit with lightning. It hurts- well I mean, obviously it hurts, it's lighting. That's like the worse thing to get hit by. Duh, I'm stupid. Ignore that last part. Just don't go walking out into a storm with an umbrella, that would be unwise. My Father did that once. Barely came out of it alive."

"He go hit by lightning?!" Elizabeth covered her mouth.

"What? No. He tripped when he was walking down the subway stairs. They were slippery."

"…" Staring at the older woman for what seemed like forever, Elizabeth suddenly began to laugh. The sound was almost foreign to the small child, but at the same time, warming.

A tiny huff of breath from Nicole signaled to Elizabeth that the older women was laughing too. "That isn't anything to laugh about."

"You're laughing." Elizabeth accused.

"Am not." She made a face.

Elizabeth mimicked her, puffing out her cheeks.

The two smiled at each other, pausing to look both way before they crossed and upcoming tree. "You're a good kid Elizabeth." Nicole placed her hand on the little girls head.

Elizabeth's tiny body shivered against Nicole's fingertips, and for a moment she thought the child was still laughing, until a sob escaped her lips. It was only then that she realized she was crying.

"Wha-" Nicole's eyes doubled in size. "Hey." She stopped and bent down. "What's wrong?" she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"It's nothing." Elizabeth whispered brokenly.  
"It obviously isn't nothing." Nicole disagreed. "Come on, you can tell me."

"I… I just-" she reached her little palms up to scrub relentlessly at her face. "I'm fine."

"Don't." Nicole whispered. "Don't do that."  
"Don't cry?" the child's voice cracked.  
"No, don't hold it in. Let it out. It is okay to cry when you are sad." Nicole felt herself practically pleading. She could never hold it together when people cried, especially kids. She was never one to cry normally herself, but definitely couldn't help the string she felt against her heart when she saw others cry.

"I just… I don't wanna go back. I don't wanna go back. I wanna stay with you." Elizabeth admitted softly. Reaching forward, Nicole brought the child into a tight embrace.

"Then you can." She assured her. What was she saying? What happened to Nicole's rationalization about this whole thing? Oh, there is goes, flying right out the window.

"R-Really?" Elizabeth hicupped.

"Yes." Nicole felt shocked in herself at how serious and determined she sounded. Like she meant what she was saying.

Actually… she did mean it. She meant every word.  
"But… the Foot-"  
"I could care less what those Pajama guys try." Nicole huffed. "Listen, if you don't want to go, then you don't have to. You can stay with me as long as you like. I have room. And besides, I am positive my other house guests will adore you."

"…You mean it?"  
"Yeah." Nicole pulled away to smile at her. "I have no doubt."

Something about her words seemed to make the child smile. "…Okay." She nodded. "Then- c-can I have some juice too? Like you said?"  
"Of course you can have some juice!" Nicole jumped to her feet. "You can have all the juice in the world." She took the little girl's hand, leading her back down the road. "You can have apple juice, grape juice, pineapple juice, strawberry juice-"

"There is strawberry juice?"

"Yup. And Orange juice-" Nicole wasn't sure how long she had gone listing out the many juices there were in the world. Probably a good 20 minutes. Elizabeth didn't mind her ranting though and listened with a happy smile. It warmed Nicole's heart.

She had to show Arinna this cute little kid.

She knew Arinna would adore her! Plus, it was about time Nicole brought someone home. She knew it would happen eventually, but she didn't think it would happen under these circumstances.

Something about all of this was odd. Why were some creeps after a sweet little girl like this? She didn't have any parents, so it couldn't have been anything to do with them.

Was she like some princess or something? Why would a princess be in New York Nicole, think logically.

Oh well, no point worrying about it now. For now, she had to put all of her focus in getting Elizabeth somewhere safe. Her house might not be the best option for that, but it was all she could think about for now.

Suddenly, Elizabeth tugged on her arm.

"Elizabeth?"

"…They are close." The child whispered softly.

"What?" Nicole scanned the area. "How can you tell?" she knelt down when the child shuffled a little closer.

"I can hear them."  
Nicole couldn't hear a thing, but after everything that had happened, it was better to be safe then sorry.

Ducking behind the trash can, Nicole pulled Elizabeth down, motioning for her to be quiet. A little down the alley way, Nicole spotted a Foot leap down from the fire escape and scan the area. _Yup, they were super close now. Way to go Elizabeth and her super hearing. _

"Nicole." Elizabeth whimpered after the Foot turned the corner.

"Okay. Okay." Nicole mumbled. "No need to panic just yet. We're uh… we're gonna go about this calmly, okay? No panicking on either of our parts. Promise?"

"P-Promise." Elizabeth nodded.  
"Good, now come on. This way." Grabbed her hand, they quickly sprinted away from the alley, ducking down another street. Keeping as close to the walls as possible, Nicole quietly looked around the corner. No Foot creeps from what she could see, but that didn't mean they weren't around.

"AH!" Elizabeth suddenly screamed. Whipping around, Nicole jumped when a few Foot jumped down.

"Oh come on!" she yelled, booking it down the road, lifting Elizabeth into her arms.

And look, right down the road was her apartment building. She couldn't just run in there now, they would notice! Then they would know where they lived. No a good thing.

She would have to loose these guys before she went in there, but how would she do that?

She barely had time to react before something took out her legs. "Whoop!" she shrieked, face planting straight into the dirt. Argh, that one stung.

"Nicole!" Elizabeth whimpered, rushing to her side. "Are you okay?"  
"Fine." Nicole mumbled, sitting up. Her knees and hand stung from when the impacted the ground, looking red and swollen. "…Ow." She hissed through the pain. "Quick, Elizabeth, run. Get out of here." She commanded quickly, realizing the foot were upon them. "I'll hold them off."  
"What?" the girl gasped. "N-No!"

"Don't argue, just go! You have more likely of a chance in getting out of this."

"I'm not leaving!" the girl yelled.

"Go!"

"NO!"

"Elizabeth!" Nicole growled. Ugh, here it is. This is why she sometimes couldn't stand kids. They were so defiant. Then again, she had no room to talk. She was the spitting image of defiance back in her teenage years.

But this was different. This was serious. Even a 5 year old had to understand that, right?

"Give us the girl." Suddenly one of the Foot ninja's spoke. Huh, and Nicole was starting to believe these guys were mute.

"No way ya weirdo." She pointed to him. "I suggest you all leave before things get ugly." Not much of a threat, but she was not in the mood for these creeps.

Apparently, her threat wasn't taken seriously either, because they began to stalk towards them. "Elizabeth, get behind me." Nicole said.

The young girl stared at her. Her eyes were wide, her mouth open. "I…" she looked back at the foot. She seemed to be contemplating something. "I… can't." she whispered.

"What?" Nicole frowned.

The child's eyes narrowed. She suddenly walked forward. It shocked and horrified Nicole all at the same time.

"Elizabe-" she was cut off by the pain the enveloped her knee when she tried to walk forward. That fall must have done more than she first thought. "Elizabeth come back here." She gritted her teeth.

"It's okay Nicole." Elizabeth smiled over her shoulder. "You're my friend." She grinned. "So I'll protect you now."

"What?"

Lifting up her little palms, Elizabeth took what Nicole could only describe as a fighting pose. This girl was only 5. A sweet little 5 year old who was about to pick a fight with 6 grown men.

"Elizabeth no. Stop it now! Get back here." Nicole called, her chest feeling tight. This reminded her too much of when she was younger. When Arinna's older brother came to her rescue when these gang jerks tried to steal her wallet from her. He was outnumbered and outmatched, but he still stood strong.

She couldn't bear to see someone go through something like that again.

"Elizabeth no!" she shrieked when one of the Foot charged.

Wincing when the two came into contact, the next thing she knew, something hit the ground. Oh god…

The body that laid across the road was undeniable. But… it wasn't a small child. It was the Foot.

He was sprawled across the cement, body withering in pain. Letting out a scream of agony, he rolled, before growing quiet. Nicole would have screamed if she thought he was dead, but he had only been fallen unconscious.

Unconscious from a hit he took from a 5 year old girl. Nicole hadn't even seen what Elizabeth had done! It was just a blur of movements. Seriously, what just happened.

Nicole couldn't find the words to ask what Elizabeth had done. Her mind was too busy whirling around different thoughts, stuck in a panic. She was beginning to realize she had gotten herself involved in something deep and dangerous.

And Elizabeth was right in the middle of it all.

"Go away." The young child demanded. With such a tiny voice and little figure most would just laugh at the sight. If it hadn't been for what just happened, Nicole might find herself laughing too.

Looking hesitant, the remaining men looked at each other, unsure of what they should do. As if coming to some sort of conclusion, the lowered their arms and stepped back, moving towards the shadows. They were giving up?  
Really?

Nicole felt relieved, but she couldn't help but feel that they had won a little too easily. Which, they did. And of course when you feel you've won too easily, something always go wrong.

Which something did.

Elizabeth and Nicole both jumped when the roar of an engine reached their ears. Looking down the road, they were shocked to see a large van speeding in their direction. From where Nicole was, she could practically see the Foot behind the wheel. Oh great, they had a stupid kidnapping van. How classy.

"Elizabeth, get off the road!" she called to the young girl.

She didn't move. She stood in the middle of the road, her eyes wide with fear and shock. It was like she had never seen a car before or something.

…Elizabeth has seen a car before, right?

The memory of Elizabeth saying she was always kept inside flashed through Nicole's mind like a cold slap in the face. Oh gosh, she didn't know what a car was!

"Elizabeth!" Nicole screamed. "Get out off the way!"

The girl didn't react. It was like she had suddenly turned into a deer caught within headlights.

"Stupid girl! Move!" Before Nicole could even think twice she felt her body moving. It was sprinting into the road, tumbling over a cup. Her knee almost felt numb, her mind solely set on Elizabeth.

_"Elizabeth!' _She threw herself between the mystified child and speeding car.

The next thing she knew, she was hugging the small girl, shielding her with her own body, right as the car hit.

**CRASH.**

_**And we are done with this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it :D I know I definitely loved writing this chapter. I've really grown to love Elizabeth :D Plus... she can kick some butt. She is 5, but that girl definitely isn't your average 5 year old. Don't mess with Elizabeth guys! You've been warned. **_


	9. Elizabeth Part 3

***From the depths of the underground, a hand shot up from the soil. With shacking fingers, they reached blindly for anything to grab a hold of. Desperate to escape, it clung to a near by vine, using it to tug themselves free. **

**What emerged was something known as a... writer. **

**A pitiful creature it was as it wiggled through the grass, momentarily freed from the demon known as _Life._ Soon the demon would find them, and drag it back with them, but for now the writer was free to do as they will. **

**With this precious time given to them, it snuck up to its strange device known as a, laptop. With this, it could complete its goal in peace. **

**For a long while now the writer had managed to write its Young justice fanfic without _Life's_** **detection, but that wasn't enough for them. There were still many things left to be written. **

**Taking the laptop into their hands, they gasped at the update notification. **

**Last Updated; Feb 14th, 2015. A whole year! How could this be so?**

**No... **

**No! It can't be too late! The writer can fix this! It can update!  
And so it did...**

**But where did it last leave off? **

**Oh yes, it remembers now. **

**The van.**

Had you asked Nicole how she thought she would die one day… she wouldn't know how to answer. She never thought it would be anything heroic or history book worthy, but something more simple. Perhaps a nasty wreck one day, or she passed away in her sleep from old age?

If she had her choice in how she would die, she would want it to be cool of course. Something people would be talking about for months! Like, "Hey, you remember that girl who self combusted after performing an arm stand dive off of the building while juggling?"

That would be the dream right there.

But of course, the simple death was most likely her way. She would never expect herself to suddenly leap in front of a car for a person she had only recently meant. Don't get her wrong, she wouldn't regret it, and at the time, it had been a split second decision.

It's just a death she wouldn't have given herself. She has never thought of herself as the hero type. That was more of Arinna's life style.

Yet here she was, kneeling on the ground, shielding a questionably helpless child from a speeding car.

And she called Arinna reckless. (Pot/kettle)

But this was one of the main reasons she wasn't good with Children. Sure they were cute and she actually found she got along quite well with them at certain times. It was everything else though that was the problem. The responsibility that came along with kids.

Or the possible death.

Either of those.

"Nicole." Nicole felt something tighten against her shirt, realizing that it was Elizabeth. Shutting her eyes, Nicole mentally apologized to Arinna. She had gotten all the way to their flippin' neighborhood, almost at their house, and she died. How messed up is that?

Arinna was going to kill her later when she found out. If she found out of course.

If these guys were crazy psychopaths as Elizabeth claimed, they probably wouldn't leave behind any evidence to what they have done. For all Nicole knows they might just jump their bodies off in the harbor.

Arinna would never know what happened.

Nicole felt her whole body shift at the horrible thought. She didn't want that. If she had to die here and now, she would want Arinna to know what happened. Regardless of how horrible or painful it might be, she would want Arinna to know

She would always prefer that than Arinna never knowing. Then Arinna always wondering, imagining what had occurred.

That has happened too many times for her to be put through that again.

The first time was when Arinna's Mother left without a word. At first everyone believed she had been taken or killed, until they realized she had packed up all her stuff.

No letter, no note, she was just gone. Leaving behind a home, husband, little 13 year old son and 8 year old daughter.

Then of course there was Vincent. He left one night to be a hero and protect those he cares about, but he never came back. They never even found his body, he was just, gone. That broke Arinna's heart.

She didn't want Arinna to think Nicole had just left her too.

She supposed at this point, she didn't have a choice. Just grit your teeth and except your fate Nicole.

Yeah, take it with your head held high. You didn't do a lot in your life, but at least your tried to help a little girl at the end of it. That had to be a good way to die, right?

…..

So can someone please explain to her why her organs haven't been splattered across the cement yet?

"Nicole!" it was the sudden voice that made her aware that the car hadn't hit them yet. Two large hands were shooting in front of her, the owner of these hands standing directly behind the two of them. Their legs were pressing against her back as I stared at the van stopped inches from her face.

"…Wha-" she took a shuddering breath, looking upward and the presence before her.

Leather skin that was jagged and pointy was above her, their face angle up. But there was no denying the long face and green skin.

"Leather…. Head…" she gasped.

Shifting his shoulder the teenage alligator stepped forward with the force of a bulldozer, forcing the car back. The man behind the wheel seemed to attempt to stop this from happening and slammed his foot on the gas, but that didn't seem to do much as the car continued to be pushed back.

The rubber of the tires screeched painfully against the road, causing black burn marks to follow the path of the van as it moved back.

"W-What happened?" Elizabeth asked quietly in her arms. Lifitng her small head, she looked from Nicole to their apparent savior. Her eyes widened in shock and awe as the bulking form shoved the car back with one final ounce of strength, practically tipping the entire thing over.

It was awesome.

Dumbstruck, the two girls flinched when the huffing form turned to them. As it began to move towards them, Nicole found herself struggling to breath. "H-How…"

Leather head shuffled closer, moving to get to his knees infront of them, "I-I'm sorry. D-Did I scare you again?" they asked nervously.

"…L-Leatherhead." she watery smile broke across her face. Her eyes trailed back to the slightly tipped van to the young alligator that had stopped it. Holy shi-

"Alligator." Elizabeth murmured suddenly. Oh yeah! Crap, Elizabeth was here.

"Are you alright?" he was cautiously kneeling next to them. Staring at him with wide eyes, Nicole nodded slowly.

"Y-Yeah." She stammered softly. Her fear for this creature was long since gone. Since his arrival all she felt was pure relief. She had never been so happy to see anyone in her life. "How did you-?" she pointed dumbly at the van than to herself. Why was he out here? How did he know they were in danger? How-

She couldn't breath. Before she knew it, she was throwing herself forward, wrapping her free arm around Leather Head's neck. He tensed up at the action, frozen in place as she dug her head into his shoulder. "Thank you…" she whispered.

She was certain she was a goner there a second ago. To think, out of everything, the person she's been treating like a flippin' monster for the past couple days would end up saving her life.

Leather Head was fumbling over his words, unsure of what to do since Nicole was still hugging him and he had some confused child pressed up against his stomach, squished between the awkward hug.

"M-Ms. Arinna told me you required assistance…" he stammered violently, "And she said you would be returning home soon with a guest. I checked the area to look for enemies and s-saw you..." Leatherhead answered softly.

Nicole nodded to herself, taking the situation in. Slowly pulling away from Leather head, her hand clasped tightly on his shoulder, she smiled. It was an honest smile, and she was grateful that it was. She was oh so grateful Leather Head was around.

Leather Head seemed flustered and smiled nervously back. "A-Are you hurt?"

"Some bruises, I'll live." She glanced down at Elizabeth. "What about you?" she asked. As she tore her eyes away from her savior to Elizabeth, Nicole suddenly remembered a sudden fact.

Leather Head was a mutant Alligator and she had just kind of squished this little kid between the two of them in a death hug.

…Whoops.

"Uh… Elizabeth." She laughed hesitantly. The young child looked up at her, mouth gaping and eyes wide. "This is… leather Head. One of the people I live with."

The child did not speak for a long time, only stared at the creature before her. Their gazes were locked for an almost awkward amount of time. From Elizabeth's intense staring, Leather Head shifted awkwardly, twiddling his thumbs together.

"….Are you real?" The child asked softly.  
"Y-Yes." He nodded.

_"_And when you said your friends were odd…" She looked back up at Nicole.

"I really meant they were _odd." _Nicole chuckled.

Suddenly, before the conversation could continue, the door van was kicked open and a few of the Foot stumbled out. Leather Head rose at this, growling viciously at them.

They flinched, looking between each other frightfully, as if waiting for each other to react. Realizing neither of them would, the foot took a quick couple of steps back. As Leather Head stepped forward, the young Foot ninja jump, turning and booking it the other direction.

"Hah." Nicole laughed at the sight. Guard dogs got nothing on this guy. Waiting to make sure they were truly gone, Leather Head turned back to them. "We should get inside." Nicole glanced around. "It is very likely someone heard the commotion and it won't take long for people to get curious enough to figure out what is going on."

_"_Of course." Leather Head agreed. She didn't flinch as he lifted her from the ground, placing her on her feet. As soon as Nicole caught her balance Leather Head released her quickly and stepped back, as if worried she would freak out if he didn't.

With how she has been, it wasn't a surprise. She admits, seeing him tip a van over and stop it mid 50 MPH, yeah, that wasn't helping with her trust towards him, but he saved her.

So in truth, I should be more afraid of him now than I ever was before, but my heart just couldn't seem to make me feel it. Not fully anyway.

He could have easily let that van run her over but he didn't. He deserved some respect for that.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

"Banged up my knee a bit." She admits, "But I'm fine. Elizabeth?"  
"I'm okay." She said quietly, eyes unable to look away from Leather head.

"Let's get inside then. Uh-" she paused, "Leather head, how exactly did you get out here without anyone noticing?"  
"I climbed out the window and down the wall." He explained.

"Ah." She nodded. "Can you do that again to get back into the apartment?"

He nodded. Taking on last look at the area, he waved to them and scurried off. Waiting till he was gone, Nicole inched forward. "Come on Elizabeth, we're almost there."

Blinking, Elizabeth reached out, grabbing a hold of Nicole's shirt. She clung to it all the way up to the apartment front doors, hiding behind Nicole once they entered the foyer.

With a quick set of hand signals, Nicole motioned for the child to duck behind a near by plant. "Stay behind there until we leave. There are some stairs right behind that door. Go all the way up to the 4th floor, then wait right by the door. Don't go out into the hall until I come to get you." Confused, Elizabeth nodded without a word, ducking down. As soon as her head disappeared behind the plant, Agatha stepped out from her office.  
"Nicole?" she asked. "You're home awfully late-" she trailed off at the sight of Nicole. "What happened?" she demanded, quick to the point.

"A scuffle on the way home." Nicole said calmly. "Tripped and hurt my knee, nothing that bad." She was lifting up her ripped open pant leg, wincing every time it would swing against the gash on her knee.

"Were you mugged?" Agatha was moving around the counter to help her.

"I think so?" she shrugged. "Didn't take my wallet. It was their fault for threatening this guns." She joked slyly, holding up her fists.

"Oh Nicole." Agatha huffed, "You have to be more careful." A gentle tone filled the older woman's voice. "Here, let me help you up to your room."  
"I'd appreciate that Agatha." Nicole smiled as they got into the elevator. Nicole gave on last glance at the plant before the doors closed. She hated lying to Agatha like this, but it was better she not get involved.

Who knows what would happen if she did anyway.

"Did you contact the police at all?" Agatha asked within the elevator, pacing around her side of the room.

"Agatha." Nicole whined, "You know I hate getting the police involved in my business. They got enough to deal with in this crazy town as it is. I didn't get hurt." Agatha folded her arms, her eyes trailing down to Nicole's knee. "This was my own fault. I tripped. If my wallet had actually be stolen I would have called the police. The guy ran off after the first punch I gave." She was lying through gritted teeth, hoping Agatha didn't notice.

She probably did, but hopefully she wouldn't call her out on it. Agatha knew when to mind her own business, and honestly, Nicole wasn't in that bad of condition. Just a hurt knee that was actually from when she tripped on the ground, running from the Foot.

"If you say so." Agatha sighed. Stepping out of the elevator when they reached their floor, they moved to Nicole's room. "You know how to disinfect that, yes?" she inquired.

"I'm on my third year of med school and you think I don't know how to disinfect something?" Nicole chuckled dryly. "Not sure if I should take offense to that or not."  
"I did not mean to insult you." Agatha shook her head, a playful smile pulling at her lips, "I simply worry for those who live within my building." She placed her hand on Nicole's shoulder.

"Aww, Agatha." Nicole gushed. "I appreciate that. I'm fine though, really. The only thing I have to worry about at this point is- well…" she trailed off as they reached her door. "How my room mate will react."

"Arinna." Agatha mused, "More of a _worry wart _then I, I assume?"

"Oh yeah, She is the queen of worrying." Nicole nodded. "Wish my luck. I'm about to enter a battle zone." She braced the door. "If I don't come back, tell my family, I love them."

Agatha saluted her, her expression grim but determined. "Of course Soldier."

"…." The two snickered at each other. "Bye Agatha. Thanks."  
"Of course dear." Agatha nodded, moving back down the hall. Opening her door, Nicole began to close it, but kept it open just an inch to listen down the hall. Hearing the Elevator door open, she waited until it closed to peek out the door.

Agatha was no longer in the hall and she could see Elizabeth poking her head out from the emergency stair's door.

"Over here Elizabeth." Nicole motioned for her wildly. Seeing her, Elizabeth sprinted to the door, her steps as quiet as a mouse.

"Did I do good?" she asked quietly.

"You did awesome. Come on it." She glanced around, tugging Elizabeth in before closing the door.

"Nicole?" she heard Arinna running the second she closed the door. "Nicole!" Arinna slide around the corner, throwing herself into Nicole's arms. "Leather Head told me everything! Are you okay?!"

"Ah! Arinna." Nicole winced. "I'm fine! Just get off-" she shoved her friend off, limping a bit to catch her balance. "I just need to sit down."  
"Oh my gosh your knee." Arinna covered her mouth. "I'll get the first aid kit-" she froze, only then noticing Elizabeth. "…." Eyes wide as saucers, Arinna blinked. "Uh… Hello." She waved awkwardly.

"H-Hi." Elizabeth said back.

"First Aid kit." Nicole grumbled.

"Right. Right." Arinna turned and disappeared down the hall. Limping into the living room. Nicole was grateful to see Michelle pulling up a chair for her.

"Honestly, and you say Arinna is the trouble magnet." She huffed. "Hypocritical if you ask me."

"Well I wasn't." Nicole countered, plopping down. She waved her hand back and forth, "Michelle, this is Elizabeth. Elizabeth, this is Michelle."

Michelle looked over the younger girl. From what Nicole could assume, both Leather Head and Arinna had already made her aware of the situation. "Hello darling." Michelle smiled. "Would you like something to drink?"

Elizabeth's head snapped to Nicole so fast, Nicole wasn't sure what she wanted. Realizing Elizabeth was practically asking permission with her eyes, she shrugged, "Go ahead kid."

"…" Elizabeth blushed. "C-Can I have… some juice?"

"What kind?" Michelle inquired.

Elizabeth fumbled, "Uh… um… a-apple juice?" Michelle chuckled, moving into the kitchen. Watching her, Nicole glanced around.

"Hey Michelle?" she called.

"Hmm?"

"Where is Leather Head?"

"In the closet." Michelle answered.  
"Wha-" Nicole craned her head to look at the closet. "Leather head? Why are you in my closet?"

It cracked open an inch, the faint sight of golden eyes peeking out. "I-I don't wish to s-scare the girl."

"Uh… I think it is too late for that. She already saw you." Nicole frowned.

"B-But you fainted several times the first time you saw me." Leather head argued meekly.

"Wha- that doesn't count." She scoffed.

"Does too." Michelle pipped in, coming back into the conversation, a cup of juice in her hands. "Here you go." she handed it to Elizabeth, who took it gratefully.

"Thank you." Elizabeth said grateful. "B-But um… M-Mr. Alligator, I won't be afraid." She said, her voice as soft as a bell. "I think you were really cool…."

The door opened a tad more, and Leather Head stuck his head out. "Cool?" he asked, bewildered .

Elizabeth nodded, looking bashful. She didn't seem too comfortable around so many people, but Nicole assumed that to be shyness over being anti-social.

"Found it!" Arinna called, running in with the first aid kit in hand. Setting it down, Nicole got to work on disinfecting and bandaging her knee. When she was done, she placed a few bandages on the scratches that covered Elizabeth's arms.

After that, the group sat in a large silence as Nicole explained the full story, or, at least as much as she knew. The rest would be up for Elizabeth to fill in.

She seemed hesitant to share, and no one pushed her. The longer she sat there however, listening to the story of how they met Leather Head and the Baby turtles, who she was very surprised to met, she seemed more open to talk of her past.

She didn't remember much, being so young already, and sometimes she struggled to explain things for them to understand, but she did her best.

No one could begin to describe the feelings they felt as Elizabeth talked. She spoke of a man known as the _Shredder. _How this man was always there, but was not her Father. She remembered him, if only a little, and her Father was kind. She can't fully remember how she ended up with the Shredder, but she knows he is a bad man.

He would make her train, with weapons and other things. Before sunset to late into the night he would make her train in fighting and weaponary.

He did this to many children, pushing them past their physical limits. Elizabeth said she couldn't even count with her fingers how many times she was faced up against a grown adult male.

She had received many beatings and bruises from those fights until she had finally learned how to tactically take that man down. Despite that though, she was never strong enough to escape.

Two days ago however, on of the men who worked for this Shredder, and man known as _Vader, _helped her. Elizabeth said that he was her favorite out of all the men. He wasn't like the others. He was weird, and loud, and funny.

He was kind to her, bringing her treats and toys to play with. He patted her head when she did a good job.

Because of him she was able to escape. She doesn't know what happened to him after, but she hoped Shredder didn't learn of what he did. He would be in a lot of trouble if he did.

She couldn't even dream that he was safe, like she always did.

"Dream?" Michelle asked, speaking up for the first time since Elizabeth's story began. Arinna flinched at the question, so caught up in Elizabeth's story to notice anyone else in the room. It all sounded like a nightmare…. How could someone put a child through all of that?

"I would dream things would happen and they did." Elizabeth explained. "Like, today. I dreamed I would meet someone on the street, and I did. I met Nicole." She smiled suddenly.

"Does that happen a lot?" Arinna inquired.

"Sometimes." The small child nodded.

Leaving that odd occurance for another time, Arinna sat next to Elizabeth, Sebastian in her arms. "Elizabeth, do you know where your family is now?"

"Family?' Elizabeth asked.

"You're um… Mother and Father." Arinna answered. Elizabeth blinked once, then twice.

"My Papa is gone." She frowned. "A mama…" she trailed off, as if the word sounded foreign to her. "I've never had one of those. What is that like?"

Arinna retracted back, a pained look crossing her face. "A mom is… well she um…" she struggled to answer. "Someone who takes care of your. Who protects you against bad things. She is someone you can talk to and learn from."

Elizabeth listened, nodding every once and a while as she sipped her juice. Suddenly, she smiled, "Like Nicole?"

Nicole spit her drink out as soon as she took a sip, choking, "W-What?" she gagged.

Elizabeth flinched at the large reaction, growing nervous, "S-Sorry."  
'No, no…" Nicole trailed off. "Just um…" she cleared her throat, "Trust me when I say, I am not the mother you would want Elizabeth. Just trust me on that."

Elizabeth glanced at her, silent.

"Well," Arinna smiled, "Elizabeth, I am glad I got to meet you."  
'M-Me too." She smiled back.

**0000-00000**

The next few days were filled with Nicole often peeking out the window and being thorough on the security they had in the house. She couldn't be positive that the Foot had seen or not where they lived, or whether or not they saw her face.

She had to be sure Elizabeth was safe, and there was no way to figure out if she was.

Would this, uh- Shredder, really put that much into getting her back?

"Coffee?" Arinna tapped Nicole's shoulder to catch her attention. Half paying attention, Nicole nodded. She moved to sit at the table, patting Picaso's and Sebastian's heads as they passed. They were sitting in their high chairs and squeaking at her.

"How are you feeling?" Arinna inquired, handing her friend a coffee cup.

"Fine. You?"

"Good." They paused to listen to Leather Head and Elizabeth playing checkers in the living room. She fit in perfectly, that little 5 year old. It was like she has always been here.

She always wanted to help with the chores, and got along with the babies and Leather Head so well. One wouldn't be able to tell she's only been here for a few days.

Nicole wasn't sure how she would bring Elizabeth up with Agatha, but for now, she didn't have to worry about it.

"So…" Arinna said, "What's the plan?"  
"Plan?" she asked.  
"By this point, you are usually insisting we kick out whatever new guest I've managed to bring in. So, is it because you like her, or because you brought her home this time that you aren't jumping on the ball to kick Elizabeth out?" Arinna asked playfully.

Nicole scowled, knowing this question would pop up eventually. "Are you saying we should?"

"Not at all. I love her. She is so sweet." Arinna cooed. "But, usually you are telling me we can't invite anyone else to stay with us."

Nicole pursed her lips, "Arinna, you are always telling me to relax and just let things happen, so I am." Nicole took a sip of her coffee.

"So you aren't worrying about this at all?" Arinna mused.  
"Nope. Elizabeth is great, she isn't a mutant that people will try to take pictures of and experiment on. Nothing can go wrong with this."

"…You sure? Cause within this conversation, you have glanced out the window at least 20 times. I think someone might be getting a little paranoid."  
Nicole felt her anger crack, "Well… bleh to you Arinna. You didn't see those guys. They were pajama wearing Ninjas. Flippin' Ninjas. Excuse me for being a little more… self aware, then usual." She sighed.

Arinna smiled, nodding, "Yes, I suppose you are right. Everything something new to worry about just pops up. For Elizabeth we got this Toaster guy-"

"Shredder." Nicole corrected.  
"Right, Shredder, and his Foot ninjas. Which is weird."

"Right?" Nicole scoffed.

"Then of course there is Elizabeth being a child." Arinna said.  
Nicole was confused, "What does that have to do with anything?"  
Arinna frowned, "For a person practicing medicine, I would think you had the brains to figure out that child services might become an issue at some point."

"Oohhh." Nicole winced, "Right. What would they do?"  
"They might try to take her away." Arinna sighed.

"Like hell I would let them do that." Nicole narrowed her eyes. Arinna was shocked to see such a protective growl come forth from her friend's throat. It made her smile. "Even if they do, we could just adopt her."  
"Adoption is a tough process. They have to do back ground checks, they'll stop by at random. Normally, I say it wouldn't be a problem, but we aren't exactly living alone." Arinna added.

"Oh… right. Plus, they will want to know how she ended up alone. Her telling them that she was forced into a sense of slavery by a man that sounds like a kitchen tool might not fly well with them." Nicole grumbled, glaring at the ceiling. "How about this? We forget child services and just say Elizabeth is my niece that is staying with me for… y'know, forever."

"Does you brother have any children?" Arinna inquired.

"No."

"Don't you think people who know that might get confused?" Arinna raised an eye brow.

"Technicalities. You know I'm not sociable and the only friend I have that knows my brother is you. Agatha doesn't even really know I have a brother." She grinned.

"You are really insistent on this, aren't you?" Arinna smiled.  
"…Am not."

"Yes you are." The two jumped when Michelle walked into the kitchen, a Cheshire grin on her face.

"Ever heard of knocking?" Nicole demanded.

"Knock knock." Michelle says sarcastically.  
"Who's there?" Nicole says. Michelle blinks, not expecting her to take in seriously.  
"Uh… Iva?"

"Iva who?" Nicole seemed pleased with the turn of the conversation. Arinna on the other hand, look horrified, desperately motioning for Michelle to not finish the sentence.

"I have a soar hand from knocking." Michelle finished, shocked when Nicole suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. She hadn't expected her to like the joke so much.

"Michelle…" Arinna whispered in dread, "What have you done? You've awoken the beast! Do you know how long it too me to get her past this.

"Hey. Hey Michelle." Nicole shifted her seat like an excited child, "Where does the sheep go to get his hair cut?"  
"No…" Arinna groaned.

"Uh… where?' Michelle inquired.

"The baaa baaa shop." Nicole snorted. Picasso and Sebastian were staring at her, confused to why she was making sheep noises.

"…Haha." She laughed awkwardly. "That was a good one Nicole."  
"Wait, wait, I got another. What do you call a deer with no eyes?"

"…I do not know Nicole. What?" Michelle slowly frowned, sensing the dread Arinna mentioned earlier.

"No eye deer." Nicole through her head back with a fit of laughter "Oh! Oh! This one is a really good one. What do you call cheese that's not yours?"

"…" Neither of the girls spoke.

"It's Nacho cheese! Hahahahaha!"

"I am starting to see what you meant Arinna." Michelle said.

"I tried to warn you." Arinna rose to her feet. "I'm going to leave before this gets worse." Scooping up Picasso and Sebastian, she shuffled out of the room.

"Oh-hoho." Nicole whipped a tear from her eye. "Can't beat those classic jokes."  
"….Right." Michelle said through gritted teeth, sitting down. "Those aside, how is your knee?"

"Yeah, I'm good." She paused, smirking, "I just _knee-ded, _a break."

"I am really regretting coming to see you today." Michelle sighed.

"Nicole the pun master can not be tamed!" Nicole chanted. As she laughed, Michelle groaned, making herself a quick piece of toast. When it was finished with, she glanced at Elizabeth and Leather Head.

"How is she doing?"  
"She is getting along with Leather Head great." Nicole says, "Had a few nightmares, but that is probably to be expected. A little jumpy sometimes too. Took my legs out yesterday because she thought I snuck up on her."  
"Ooh." Michelle winced.

"Yeah, wasn't fun. She turned into a bawling mess after that, apologizing for hours. Even woke me up in the middle of the night to say it again."

"She is sweet."

"Yeah. Things would be a lot better if we knew what the Foot planned to do after this. I want to hope Leather Head scared them off for good, but who knows. Just because they might know where she is doesn't mean they won't come looking for her."

Michelle lowered her head at that, nodding. "Yeah, I understand the feeling."

Nicole was shocked, "You do?"

"I mean-" Michelle panicked. "I feel as though I understand what it _must _feel like. The fear I mean. No one would want to be chased by bad people." She covered for herself quickly. Nicole took note of that, wondering what secrets Michelle still hid from them.

But a secret is a secret for a reason. Sometimes it is just painful to talk about the past.

"Okay then." She finished her coffee, "For now, we're leaving things as they are."

"So, you are keeping her?" Michelle inquired.

"…Yeah." She nodded.

"Are you positive? You are usually so against Arinna bringing home things she finds on the street."

"I'm against her bringing home Mutants, because she has brought home a lot and they could mean danger. This is different." Nicole said quickly, trying to get out of the topic.  
"UH-huh." Michelle smirked. "Cause a girl being chased by a giant group of ninja's isn't dangerous at all."

"Take your sass Michelle, and stick it back in your pocket." The other glared.

She giggled, "Well, I am glad either way. Elizabeth is a sweet girl."  
"She is." Nicole agreed.  
"What will you do if those people from before come after her again?" Michelle frowned, looking worried. Nicole narrowed her eyes, glancing at the window.

"Then I'll beat them up." She answered simply.

"I do not believe you can-" Michelle began to say, but cut herself at the determined and dark look Nicole was giving her.

"I won't let this girl be taken away again Michelle. They'll have to kill me before I let that happen."  
"Nicole…" Michelle grinned, "That sounded almost Fatherly."

"…Fatherly?" Nicole questioned, a sour tone in her voice. "What do you mean by that?"  
"Well, you seem to dislike being called _Mother, _so I figured being a Father figure might please you instead." She said innocently. "Just a thought though."

"I will throw this cup at you Michelle." Nicole lifted it high.

Michelle broke into a sprint for the door, "The great woman of Britain makes her daring escape!"

"While the angry America woman chases her with a vengeful rage!" Nicole leapt over the table in hot pursuit.

"No running in the apartment!" Arinna screamed at them.

**That thing at the beginning of the chapter on writers, I felt like flippin' smeagol as I wrote that. XD**

**Anyway, yes, it is true. I've updated. And I will continue to try and update. **

**_For now, I end this chapter with this. THE ELIZABETH ARC IS DONE. _**

**_But don't think everything is over. We all know Shredder doesn't like to be made a fool of. _**

**_The Foot will return, as will a blast for Elizabeth's past. You can't believe that she just told them everything now, do you? No, even a 5 year old has their secrets. _**

**_Speaking of secrets, Michelle has some of her own, doesn't she?_**

**_Yes, secrets and lies, what all great stories are filled with. But! We must move onto our next ARC! All the while getting to know our characters a bit more. _**

**_The Arc is titled..._**

**_Jake Brookfield_**


	10. Changes

**Let it be known that I am terrible at spelling :)**

**Like… horrible. And Grammar. Grammar. So the two things you need to be good at as a writer I'm horrible at. I should consider getting one of those Beta readers or something, like really. **

**But yes, as 'Like the Leaf' has made me aware, I spell Shacking and Shaking wrong. **

**My sister even tells me this! XD **

**Sorry for that guys. I really try to make sure I get it right but my mind just skips over that c sometimes. **

**If anyone out there is a good spell checker please let me know. I would love some help with these. :D**

**_SUPER IMPORTANT IF NOT SAD MESSAGE (MUST READ!):_**

_Everyone, I am sad to announce that one of the characters in THE HAND, will no longer be with us. As requested from the owner of this character, SEBASTIAN, will no longer be in this story. _

_I know this is kind of weird cause he has been in so many and it is just odd to take him out, but please bear with it. __L__ I'll add a different turtle baby for compensation. _

_And please, I ask none of you be made. It is the author's decision to what will or will not be done with their character. And though I am sad to see him go, I understand. _

_So lets send Sebastian off with a big SHABAM! _

_And when I say that I mean it metaphorically. He will just be gone. _

_I was tempted to kill him off but… my heart could stand killing off an innocent little baby turtle __L__ So We're just gonna say farewell._

**But, lets get back into this story with some good old funny nonsense. **

* * *

Nicole was pacing. Something that was never a good thing for Nicole to do.

"Tell me what is wrong." Arinna sighed when she returned home from shopping.

"I can't believe she would go this." Nicole was muttering, "I mean, I thought we were friends!"

Glancing at the high chair, Arinna raised her eyebrow at Picasso, who was eating his cut up carrots quietly. "Wanna fill me in?"

He simply blinked at her. "…Yeah didn't think so." Patting the baby's head, she shuffled around her friend to put groceries away.

"Zawsze mówię jej o nim też! To ja go nienawidzę! " Nicole screaming, throwing her hands up. "Zacząłem myśleć, że było super fajnie, ale nie, Agatha prostu musiał udowodnić mnie źle."

Michelle peeked her head in, eyes wide. "What in the world was that?" she gasped.

"Nicole." Arinna answered.

Confused, Michelle sauntered in, tilting her head at the fuming mechanic. "What is she- what is she saying? Is that gibberish?"

"Polish." Arinna corrected. "Her mother was from Poland."

"She is fluent in both?" Michelle gawked, "Fascinating."

"More like frustrating. She gets this way whenever she is upset and I can never try to calm her down because I don't know what she is upset about." Arinna sighed. "I mean, she has taught me a bit of polish." She shrugged.

"Can you figure out what she is saying?" Michelle inquired.

Arinna cringed, shrugging. "Well, maybe. She said something about Agatha a bit ago. I think Agatha has her upset."

"Agatha. Now why would she have her upset?" Michelle questioned.

"Who knows?"

"Istnieje wiele pięter w budynku! Dlaczego nie umieścić go na jednym z tych? Załóżmy, że podłoga mieć do czynienia z nim? Dlaczego moja podłoga w szczególności?" Nicole kicked the trash can.

Arinna says, "Please don't take your anger out on the furniture."

"Mój dom! Mogę wziąć go na to, co chcę Arinna!" Nicole countered.

Arinna blinked a few times, running the words over in her head, "I don't care if it is your house. You'll upset Picasso."

"Nic nie denerwuje Picasso.

"Eh, I agree with you there." Arinna nodded.

"What? What did she say?" Michelle leaned in.

"She said nothing upsets Picasso." Arinna whispered.

"Oh." Michelle nodded. "However, Nicole. What has you so upset dear? Perhaps we can help you?"

Nicole turned to throw her arms up, "Tylko w ten sposób można pomóc mi jest, jeśli przekonany Agatha przenieść tego małego szczura innym piętrze. Kładzie gnomów poza jego drzwi. Czy wiedziałeś o tym? będę mieć do czynienia z głupimi gnomów gdy wychodzę!"

"Translation?" Michelle pleaded for assistance.

"Spoke too fast for me to catch it all." Arinna clicked her tongue. "Something about Agatha again and some Gnomes."

"Gnomes?" Michelle was dumbstruck. "Wha- Nicole. Nicole!" she snapped her fingers to catch her friends attention. "I can not understand you when you speak like this. Can you go back to English please?"

Huffing a few times, Nicole circled the room before running a hand through her hair, "Yeah. Sorry." She sniffed. "Went a bit overboard there."  
"That would be an understatement dearie. Leather Head and Elizabeth are too frightened to enter the room." Michelle motioned with her head to the door. Leather head and Elizabeth seem to be peeking in at that exact moment and flinched, ducking away.

"Oh." Nicole frowned. "I'm sorry guys. Really. I'm fine now."

"You spoke… strangely." Leather Head said, slowly creeping into the room.

"Polish." Arinna corrected again. "It is another language."

"You can speak more than one." Elizabeth gasped in awe. "Can you teach me too?" she beamed.

Nicole scratched her head, "Well, yeah sure. Another time though. I gotta focus on something else right now."

"And what exactly is that?" Arinna folded her arm.

"Yes, what is this about Agatha and some Gnome?" Michelle nodded.

Nicole rolled her eyes, "Okay, no. Not Agatha and a Gnome. Agatha and a guy who owns some Gnomes." She corrected. "We're getting a new neighbor."

A sudden tension filled the room. Worry began to pool in the other's eyes, "What kind of new neighbor?"

"A loud and geeky one." Nicole snarled. "The biggest dorks of all dorks! The largest thorn in my side! The very bane of my existence!"

"…Oh no." Arinna's face went pale.

"Oh yes!" Nicole faked a cheer. "Baxter. Flippin. Stockman!"

Arinna's hand fell into her hands, a groan escaping her lips.

"…Uh…. Who?" Michelle inquired feeling very out of the loop. "Bixter Stickman?"

"Yup." Nicole nodded.

"No." Arinna hit her. "It's _Baxter Stockman_. He hates it when people get his name wrong."

Elizabeth started to pull on Nicole's pant leg, "Is he a bad man?"

"Yes." Nicole paused, "Well, no. He is a big coward."

"What Nicole means to say, is we've known Baxter since High school, Elizabeth." Arinna kneeled down to pat her back. "He is an old friend of ours, but Nicole and him tend to not get along most days."

"All days." She corrected heatedly.

"He isn't that bad of a guy though. He just… He makes a lot of poor choices sometimes and gets pushed around a lot because he is smaller than most people." Arinna said sadly.

"And he is obnoxious, self centered, a know it all-" she paused. "Shall I go on?"

"No." Arinna grumbled. "And what were you talking about with gnomes."

"He owns them! Stockman wants to put those creepy gnomes outside his door in the hall. And Agatha is letting him! I even told Agatha how much I hated him but she said that I should give him a chance." She pulled at her hair, "There are only so many _chances _I can give this guy before I rip his head off."  
"Nicole." Michelle scolded, quick to cover Elizabeth's ears. "I'm sure this Mr. Stockman is not a bad fellow. When does he move in?"

"Dead wrong there Michelle. And I'll prove it in a week. That is when he moves in." Nicole stormed out of the room. "You'll see! It'll be hell!"

Michelle looked to Arinna. She only shrugged.

"There have been many different opinions on Baxter." She sighed. "I quite like his company, but you'll have to see for yourself."

**-00000 Next morning0000-**

"Psst. Michelle." Arinna whispered, knocking on the other woman's door. Peeking her head out, Michelle yawned.

"What?" she asked.  
"One, cute pajamas." Arinna said, "Two, you've got to come see this."

"Arinna, it is 7 in the morning and Saturday. Can it not wait?" the other sighed, stepping out in her pink footsie pajamas.

"No, it can't." Arinna tugged on her arm. "Just come see this." They ran back to Arinna and Nicole's apartment, tip toeing through the hall and into the living/dining room.

Nicole was sitting on the couch, a book in her hand. Yet that wasn't what Arinna wanted Michelle to see. Instead, it was who surrounded Nicole. At her feet, Picasso was resting his head on her foot, sucking his thumb. Nicole was gently lifting her foot up and down as if to sooth the child.

On the back of the couch, slightly hanging off it was Leather Head, curled into the warm of Nicole's back and practically purring.

Finally there was Elizabeth who was snuggling up in her arm, which Nicole had maneuvered so she could still see her book while holding her at the same time.

Nicole didn't even seem to notice that she was brushed a few bangs out of Elizabeth's face with her free hand.

Michelle glanced at Arinna, who was giving her the large and quietest squeal of joy she had ever seen. "Doesn't like kids." She mocked quietly. "What a bunch of baloney."

"Indeed." Michelle agreed. She suddenly lifted up a camera.

"Where did you get that?" Arinna questioned.

"A good photographer always keeps a spare strapped to their back."

"Really? That's a thing?" Arinna gawked. Lifting her hands, Michelle snapped a picture. Nicole's ear twitched and she snapped her head to look at them. Spotting them instantly, her eyes flared with rage.

They snickered, motioning for her to stay quiet, or else she has to deal with a sobbing Picasso. If there was one thing they learned, he was not happy when they disturbed his beauty sleep. "Why you little pieces of…" she growled, freezing when Elizabeth shifted. Not moving a muscle, she relaxed when she went still, but the murderous gaze Nicole was giving her friends was a promise of a slow and painful death later.

"Can I get that photo?" Arinna pleaded.

"Of course. I shall make many copies." Michelle cooed.

"Yay~"

**0000-0000**

"Leather Head and Nicole seem to be getting along better." Arinna noted. Pausing from washing the dishes, Michelle nodded.

"I assume it is from the whole 'Leather Head saved her life from a speeding van" debacle."

"Most likely. The only reasons she feared Alligators so much in the first place was because she thought she would get hurt from being around them, especially since she thought she would die when she fell into the alligator pit back when we were kids." Arinna mused, "I guess having one save her for once opened her eyes. But that is just a theory."

Michelle smiled at her from over her shoulder. "Oh, Arinna?"

"Hmm?"

"I thought you might want to know that I think I can help you with you _unemployed _problem."

Arinna perked up, "Really?" she asked.

"My work office is looking for new recruits and currently hiring. I talked to my boss about you and he said he would like to talk to you. Perhaps get you a job." She said casually, yet unable to hold the smirk that was etched in her tone.

The other gasped, "You got me an interview?"

Michelle nodded, giving her a thumbs up, "It took quite a toll of negotiations, but I did in fact manage to steal you an interview with him. It is not the prettiest job in the world, but it is decent paying. Think of yourself as an assistant."  
Arinna pursed her lips, "Meaning I'm the one who runs to get everyone coffee every morning and copy their papers."

"Sadly, yes. Do you not want it?"  
"No!" Arinna leapt to her feet. "I'll take anything at this point! Oh Michelle!" she lunged for her, swinging her into a tight embrace. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Michelle laughs and pats Arinna on the back, "It is no problem at all Arinna. Just make sure you do not insult the man. He is good hearted so I am positive everything will be fine."  
"I will. I mean, I won't- insult him I mean. I'll be as charming as a new years cake!" she grinned.  
"Uh… okay?" Michelle didn't understand the simile

**0000-00000**

"What are you humming?"

Michelle turned at Elizabeth's question. "What?"

"You are always humming a song. What is it?" Elizabeth asked with wide eyes. Michelle had left to check on her shop at this point and Arinna was placing Picasso to bed, leaving Michelle to watch over Elizabeth and Leather Head. Though Leather Head didn't really need a babysitter.

"The song?" Michelle looked away, "Oh well-" she turned to mess with a few books on the desk. "It is an old lullaby my Father use to sing to me every night."

"Your papa?" Elizabeth smiled.

"Yes." Michelle's heart felt heavy. "At times I find myself thinking of him, even if I do not realize I am."

"Are you sad?"

"Everyone is sad for the people they loss. Loss gives us the chance to have something precious. If we never lost, we would never realize how important the people around us were." She found herself saying, her voice distant and foreign.

"That was beautiful." Leather Head says.

Michelle chuckled a tad, "My Father told that to me once, long ago. I miss him greatly."

"Is he gone now?" Elizabeth asked, a small touch of a frown crossing her face. "Like mine?"

"Yes," Michelle moved around the table to place her hand on Elizabeth's head. "Both of our Papa's seem to have passed on. However, I shall tell you a secret my dear. To both of you." She looked to Leather Head.

"A secret?" Elizabeth's eyes grew wide.

Michelle nodded. "If you love a person with all your heart, they never truly leave."

"They don't?" Leather Head inched a little closer.

"Yes, fore you see, they live on in you. The memories you have of them are their eternal form. The past will always remember them, thus, they will never be truly lost." Elizabeth and Leather head smiled up at her, nodding their heads. "Now, up we go then. Time to clean the kitchen."

"Okay." They jumped to their feet.

**0000-0000**

"Hey Agatha~" Nicole said in a chipper tone, smacking the bell a few times. Stepping out from her office, Agatha, grabbed the bell to stop the ringing.  
"Yes?" she sighed.  
"So listen, my Brother called me yesterday and asked for a favor." Nicole announced.  
"I wasn't aware you had one. How is your leg?" she glanced down.

"Good. Little bit of a limp. But yeah, I'm not exactly open about my family ties. Much like yourself." She continued.  
"Fair point." Agatha nodded.

"Anyway, my brother asked if my niece could stay for a bit. He's uh… kind of having some trouble with the wife." She had practiced this so many times in the mirror she felt like a professional actor! "So I'm letting them sort it out without getting little Elizabeth involved."

"Elizabeth." Agatha noted. "How old?" she pulled out a notepad. "Will she be noisy? You know Mr. Fenricksen doesn't like when things are noisy, and I've already gotten complaints from him about your room already."

"Fenricksen complains if a mosquito hits his window." Nicole scoffed. "She is 5 and very well behaved thank you very much."

"How long will she be staying?"

"Unsure at this point." Nicole admitted. "You ever have a husband before?"

"No and I don't plan to."  
"Hallelujah to that sister." Nicole held up her hand. Agatha high fived it, giving her a warm and throaty laugh.

"Now, when will this little niece of yours arrive?"

"Couldn't give me a better warning?" Agatha mused.

"Hey, what can I say, I'm a busy girl. Be thankful I remembered even this much." Nicole looked away. "But hey, you'll love here. Real nice, but shy. She is into that fighting stuff too. Might just accidentally beat you up." Nicole meant it as a joke, but at this point, Elizabeth might be able to actually pull it off.

"What a sight that might be." Agatha said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, a ninja child and an ex spy-" she snapped her gaze to Agatha's to catch any reaction. Agatha only blinked, a toothy grin pulling at her lips.  
"Please tell me you haven't gone around spreading the rumor to Michelle. You've already told the entire building that gossip and they are starting to believe it you know."

"Well when you go kicking down people's doors, of course people will start to believe it." She reached around Agatha to snatch a cookie of the plate. "Thank you~"

"I have never once kicked down a person's door. I simply grab the keys from the back and unlock them."

"So you admit you sneak into peoples apartments?" Nicole sneered.

"Only if they are throwing noisy house parties." Agatha countered with a sneaky grin.

"….Oooh, you're good Agatha." Nicole waved her finger at her. Finishing her cookie, she smiled, "So Arinna's got an interview today."

"Oh really?" Agatha rummaged through some papers. "That is wonderful. I am glad to see she is getting back on her feet. Where is it."

"Same place Michelle works. She is the one who get it all set up. Hopefully Arinna gets the job."

"She is a nice girl. I am sure she will." Agatha turned. "Now if you excuse me, I have to go make some phone calls. Apparently there was some horrible wreck right outside the apartment a few days ago. An entire van was tipped over." Nicole cause the side of Agatha's gaze, "Same night you came in with that injured leg of yours."  
Nicole would have to pat herself on the back for the ultimate poker face she gave her apartment manager. "Really? How weird. How did the van tip over?"  
"No one knows. Wasn't even a call in from who ever owned it. The police believe it belongs to someone here in the apartment since it was so close. You don't happen to own a second van do you?"

"Only my hippie van." Nicole held up a peace sign. "Hasn't really moved from the parking garage."

"I still do not understand why you keep such a thing if you never use it." Agatha sighed.

"For emotional attachment reasons Agatha." Nicole said solemnly. "Oh hey, I got a question for you though."

"Yes?"

"Two drums and a cymbal fall of a cliff. Guess what happens?" Nicole grinned. Agatha's face fell into a deep frown. "Who got you into jokes again?"

"Michelle. Blame her. But come on, guess what happens."

"I'm going to regret asking this." Agatha sighed. "What Nicole."

"Ba-dumb Tish!" Nicole cackled.

"I'm leaving." She turned, but could not turn quick enough to hide the smile pulling on her lips.

"You thought it was funny!" Nicole called over the counter, "Admit it!"

"Have a nice day." Agatha chuckled.  
"Will do Agatha." Nicole turned with a snort and moved to the elevator. Once inside, she gave herself a fist pump. Mission 'Elizabeth" was a success. Now she won't have anyone on her back to why she is suddenly living with a 5 year old.

At least for a while anyway.

**0000- (Note: So I know in the past I made Agatha almost seem like a villain to most people, and I didn't mean that at all. She is really nice, just… scary some times. A Managers got to do what a managers got to do. Plus… Nicole might not be so far off with the ex-spy theory. You'll just have to wait and see) -00000**

"Arinna! Arinna!" Nicole called desperately. At the sound of her friend's plea, Arinna scrambled into the living room.

"W-What? What?!" she gasped.

"Ah! Ah!" Elizabeth yelled.

"What?!" Arinna ran to them, only to see they were both sprawled against the couch, playing a video game. "Wha… really?" she sighed. "What do you want?"

Nicole has decided to show Elizabeth what video games were, insisting Elizabeth would be _deprived of fun no longer. _Thus their 24 hours gaming marathon began. Leather Head would have joined, but he kept breaking the controllers every time something scary of happened in the game. So he just sat and watch inside, hugging a pillow close to his chest.

"Help us Arinna! The Big Daddy is chasing us." Nicole wailed.

"The what-?" Arinna peeked at the screen. "I've never even heard of this game."

"It was highly rated." Nicole said simply.

"That's… is it appropriate for kids?" she asked softly, picking up the game case. Reading the back, she shrieked, slamming it into Nicole's head.

"Ow!" she yelled, "What was that for?!"

"Nicole! This is an M rated game! Elizabeth and Leather Head shouldn't be playing this!"

Nicole stared at Arinna, her fingers still moving vigorously against the controller. "..." she glanced at the two younger kids, who's eyes were locked with the screen. "…I think they are fine with it." She said.

Growling, Arinna stomped forward, slamming her finger into the eject button of the console. "Hey!" Nicole yelled. Elizabeth and Leather Head seemed to snap out of the trance and blinked rapidly. Realizing Arinna took out the game, they watch curiously as she placed in a new disk. Waiting a few second, Nicole groaned as the words, "Cooking Mama" flashed over the screen. "Not Cooking Mama."

"Yes, Cooking mama." Arinna huffed. "You can't play such intense games with kids. It will rot their brains and give them nightmares." She flicked her friends forehead.  
"What ever you say, _Mom." _Nicole grumbled, handing Elizabeth the controller. Taking it, she pressed start, looking curious.

Nodding, Arinna left the room to return to the small nursery they had made. Getting on her knees, she moved to Picasso, who was playing with some blocks. "Hi Picasso." She cooed. He paused to look at her, blinking. "What are you building?"

He handed her a block, wiggling his hand. Stopping him from falling over, she laughed. "Making a building?"

He replied with a sneeze.

She sighed lovingly at the sight. "I'll take that as a yes." She said. He gave her a little toothless smile, chucking a block at her.

"Oh!" she ducked, letting the block fly over her head. "No no Picasso." She scolded, causing him to frown. "Don't throw blocks at others."

By this point Picasso could almost walk by himself, at least taking two steps before falling over. But that boy was a crawling demon. He shot across the room so fast Arinna found she lost sight of him all the time.

So, before he could scurry away, she snatched him up, "Guess what Picasso?" she poked his nose, "I got an interview today." She smiled. The baby didn't understand but tilted his head to the side. "But, if I get this job, I might not see you as much anymore." She sighed. "Hope you don't mind spending more time with Nicole. I'll make sure she doesn't feed you anything weird, or lets you watch inappropriate things."

Giving the little one a kiss on the nose, she placed him back in the crib for his daily nap.

"Sleep well." She whispered, creeping out of the door to get ready for her interview. Nicole let her borrow some of her nice clothes, and Michelle helped her do her hair. When she was ready, everyone was at the door to see her off.

"What is a intumview?" Elizabeth inquired.  
"Interview." Nicole said. "It's like a… um… it is where this boss questions you to see if you are good for the job. Like, saying you wanna bake things. The person makes sure you can bake and will be nice to everyone." She said.

"Ooh." Elizabeth nodded. "Good luck at baking Ms. Arinna!"

"I'm not actually going for a baking job Elizabeth. That is Nicole's job." Arinna chuckled, patting her head. "But thank you." She turned to the door, hesitating. "I'm heading off then." Her voice wavered.

"You'll do fine Arinna." Nicole lifted her mug to her. "Don't worry about it. Just be yourself-" she paused. "Well, play it cool a little."

"Hey." Arinna frowned. "That isn't helping."  
"Wanting me to tell you a joke to make you feel better?" her friend offered.

Arinna made a break for the door, "No thank you."

"I wanna hear a joke!" Elizabeth lifted her hands.

"Oh gosh, Elizabeth no. Do not get her started." Michelle pleaded. "Arinna! Arinna! Please do not leave me alone with them!"

Arinna could faintly hear Nicole's joke as she closed the apartment door, "Two muffins are in an oven. One muffins says, "Gosh, it sure is hot in here'. The other screams, "AHH! A talking Muffin'!"

Elizabeth was giggling and from the thumping she heard, Arinna could assume Michelle was slamming her head against the door, mumbling "Why? Why? Why?"

**0000-0000**

It feels almost strange for Arinna to be out in public again. As a being one with society.

She absentmindedly wondered if she looked weird, her own self conscious sending warning flares that people were staring. When she was in high school she took a psychology class describing how mankind tends to always thing others are staring at one another.

That if someone gives you a look, you instantly assume they are judging you, when in truth, they might just be worrying you are judging them. We all think we are talking about each other behind our backs.

Arinna was never good with people in the first place. Perhaps her own title of being 'weird' is the reason she feels drawn to others who her like her. The odd and strange people of the world. It would make sense honestly.

Nicole was pleased she was getting herself out in the world at least. Nicole has always been a social butterfly. People were just drawn to her. Though it might not seem like it, she thought through every situation thoroughly. She was understanding, even to the strangest of circumstances.

Arinna didn't understand half of what was usually going on and most just winging through everyday. Her actions often get herself in trouble, and those around her some how get dragged down with her.

She couldn't mess up today though. She was going to get this job and start helping out with the funds. She brought all these things onto Nicole and she wasn't going to let her carry them through everything.

She was determined. She could do this!  
…Until her knees started to buckle as soon as she entered the building.

So this was where Michelle worked; **Winter's Corp. **A cooperation that specialized in many different fields, from journalism, architecture, all the way to cutting edge science.

Quiet an impressive company.

Look at this building for instance! The wide variety of art that covered the walls, towering pillars, it was like she walked into some sort palace! Wondering around aimlessly for a while, quickly realizing she was lost, she approached a guard.

"Excuse me?" she asked. He glanced at her, tipping his hat with a kind smile.  
"What can I do for you Ms?" he inquired.

"Sorry to bug you with such a silly question, but this is the first time I've ever been here and I seem to have lost the front desk." Arinna said quietly. The man chuckled.

"It is no problem at all ma'am. Happens to everyone. If you go down that hall, it will be to the very end on the right." He motioned to it with his hand. "What bring you here today, if I may ask?" He had bright almond eyes and black hair peeking out from under his hat.

Arinna smiled at him, "A job interview actually."

"Oh? What field are you aiming for?" he inquired.

"Nothing big. An assistance basically." She explained. The man nodded.

"Well hopefully you get it ma'am. Your name is…" he trailed off.

"Arinna."  
"Haru." He held out a large hand, which Arinna shook gratefully.

"Thank you Haru." Feeling a little more calm now that she actually seemed to be getting to know the people within the building, Arinna waved goodbye to Haru. He tipped his hat to her and then she was off. Down the hall and to the right.

The front desk instantly came into view, and Arinna's dread hit her all over again. Inching to the front desk, she peeked at the woman behind it.

Her gaze was locked on her computer, typing vigorously with her long nail. Stereotypical desk lady.

She cleared her throat, "E-Excuse me?" she asked. The woman glanced up at her, pursed her lips, and sighed.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Uh… I'm here to see Mr…. Mr. Winters?" she momentarily forgot his name.

The woman leaned back into her chair, folding her arms. "Do you have an appointment with Mr. Winters?" she asked.  
"Yes. I-I'm Arinna. Arinna Kentin?"

She glanced at her screen, sighing. "Very well, take the elevator up to the top floor. He will be with you shortly." She motioned behind her. Nodding my thanks, I scrambled around the desk and into the elevator. Pressing the largest number I could find, I waited with baited breath.

Jumping when she reached her floor, she shuffled out, practically tripping when she came to some stairs.  
"Oh, careful there." A kind voice called. Straightening, Arinna lifted her head to the sound of the voice. A tall young man wearing a dashing suit gave her a small wave. "Hello there. You must be Arinna. My name is Max Winters. Welcome."

* * *

**And that my friends is what I call a 2007 TMNT movie reference! :D Yeah, so, this kind of mean this movie takes place in the 2007 film. But… it also doesn't XD **

**Lets just assume all the TMNT shows and movies are kind of mixed into one XD**

**We continue the next chapter into the full JAKE ARC! :D **


	11. Jakey

**Oh my gosh why did this take me so long?**

**I do not understand what is wrong with me an updating. I just don't understand. I'm sorry friends. I'm so sorry ;-;**

**But here it is, the next update. I tried to make this chapter long for you guys.**

* * *

I tend not to plan ahead at times. It is just how I have always rolled.

Just hope something good happens, and if it does, great! So some how managing to score this job was a very big success for me.

I was now employed. I am officially scratching my name off the unemployed list! Thank you! (_Commence the wiggling of my jazz hands~) _

My conversation with Max Winters was surprisingly very nice. He was a very tall and bulky man, one I would almost consider a wrestler if he hadn't been wearing such a professional suit. Even then I still might consider it. Perhaps as a hobby? He actually might be a wrestler too; I need to look that up. I've never been too big on the sport.

Anyway, his voice was smooth; his words precise and pleasant to the ear, yet his eyes were calm and warm. I felt very comfortable talking to him. It felt like… he understood me, if that makes sense. He was kind, but somewhere through the conversation, with the way he talked about all the old antiques he had collected, I detected a note of sadness. As if he had lost so much in the time it took him to get there. Like me.

But what am I saying? I only talked to him for an hour.

He talked of the position he required for me to be in, explaining the roles and how Michelle had told him I was a star in organizing and paper work; which I was. He told me I would be in a way his assistant, which I felt was a very big job to instantly be put as the head boss' assistant.

I told him I had never done such a thing before, but he assured me that it was fine. He was desperate for a worker, and trusted Michelle's judgment. She had been in the company for so long that her family was good friends of his. I hadn't known about that and Michelle definitely hadn't mentioned it.

So, with that said, I got the job and would be starting on Monday.

There was a bounce in my step during the way home.

"I'm walking on sunshine, Ohh-oohhh!" I sang with glee, "And don't it feel good! Bah! Wah wah, dum dum da dee da doo~ And don't it feel go-AHHHH!" I jumped when something heavy tipped over behind me. What in the world was that?!

Looking around, I glanced to the oddly shaped form at my feet. Stepping back, it became clear that it was a… person? A collapsed man?!

"Oh. Oh my gosh! Sir! SIR!" I gasped, kneeling down to the man to shake his shoulder. "Are you alright?" The man didn't respond, but groaned softly. His eyes were shut, his body limp and his face pale. My hand moved up to his forehead, his skin burning at my touch. "What a horrible fever."

Horrified, I Iooked around helplessly. _How did I always manage to get caught up in these situations?! It was as if my soul was drawn to people in distress or something._

"Okay Arinna," I told myself. "Try to remember what you learned from Nicole's Dad that one time he attempted to teach you first aid. Always check your surroundings. Look for hazardous things that may hurt you." I glanced around, seeing that the area seemed to be clear. "If you are there because you heard a similar scream of help, aid the victim. Even if they are surrounded by multiple armed criminals. Think not of the consequence that may be death. Remember, fear is an irrational emotion. You should ignore it. Police are irrelevant too. Think not of calling them…" I trailed off, frowning.

Wait… that doesn't seem right.

Now that I think about it… maybe I shouldn't take safety advice from a guy who thought it might be cool to cut off his own thumb just for him to be able to tell his buddies about it later.

Makes me wonder how Nicole became a person so bent on not doing dangerous things.

Well, no, that is a lie. Nicole does a lot of dangerous things. But the one thing she treats with the utmost care is a stranger. Especially welcoming said stranger into her house.

But she would gladly meet a creepy guy under a bridge in the middle of the night if he asked. The fool.

So, I did the next best thing I could. I checked for breathing and a pulse, relieved to find both. Then, I began to yell towards the crowded streets down the alley. "S-Someone!" I screamed. "Please! Help!"

It didn't take long for someone to notice me and send an ambulance. When the medics arrived they asked me what happened, but I didn't have a clue, so they whisked us both into to the ambulance all the way to hospital.

Not that I'm this guy's family or anything, but it wouldn't feel right to find him and just abandon him. I had an obligation as the one who found him to make sure he was okay, or at least wait until his family got there.

They never showed though. The problem was that this guy didn't have any identification. From his clothes I assumed he lived on the streets.

Similar to myself before I moved in with Nicole, he was on his own. For now, I just have to call Nicole and tell her what happened.

I used the hospital phone to do so and felt so relieved when she answered, "_Y'ello~ This is Nicole speaking."_

"Nicole!" I sobbed into the phone.

"_Arinna?" _Nicole asked, startled. "_What's wrong? Where are you?"_

"The Hospital…"

"_What?!" _there was a crash and violent noises, as if she dropped the phone and was scrambling to pick it back up, "_Are you okay?!"_

"I-I'm fine." I say, "It isn't me who needed to come here. On my way home I found this guy and he was unconscious and… and now he is in the emergency room."

"…._Your soul is just drawn to people in distress, isn't it?"_

I had to take a double take when Nicole said the exact same thought I had earlier.

"I… I dunno, maybe?" I shrugged. "Can you just get down here?"

"_Yeah, sure, let me just stabilize my soap guardian and I'll be right there."_

"Your what?" I asked

"_Well, I was telling Michelle about that year my Dad sent me off to summer camp and I learned how to sculpt ancient warriors out of Soap, and she didn't believe me. So I'm making one now to prove to her I can. I'm at a crucial point, so once I finish that off I'll be right there." _There was a pause. "_Michelle, I'm about to head out and go pick up Arinna, can you watch everyone for me while I'm gone?"_

"_...Well I am already here, so might as well." I_ heard Michelle reply on the other end, sounding in awe at what I assumed to be Nicole's soap warrior. They tended to be very impressive.

"_Gah!" _Suddenly I heard Picasso's let out this sound. It sounded like he was eating something.

"_Picasso no! Don't bite on LeatherHead's tail! Leatherhead, stop him!" _Nicole yelled. I almost sighed when I heard that.

"_I apologize. It is hard to say no to him." _Leatherhead said softly.

"_Nicole, you're leaving?" _Elizabeth's voice rang through the phone, "_I wanna come too!"_

"_Elizabeth you can't. I have to go to the hospital-"_

"_I wanna come!" _the younger girl insisted. Sighing, Nicole was quiet for a few second.

"…_Okay. Okay. But you are wearing the hat and scarf I gave you. I don't want anyone seeing your face." _She sighed. "_Arinna, I'll be right there with Elizabeth."_

"Okay. See you soon."

With that I hung up. I waited at least 30 minutes before Nicole shot through the doors, scanning wildly through the waiting room. "There you are. You are like a magnet that attracts trouble, you know that right? Trouble just can't avoid you." she pointed to me.

"What?" I questioned.

"I'm trouble!" Elizabeth appeared from behind Nicole.

"Uh oh!" Nicole faked a gasp, "You're pulling Elizabeth straight towards you Arinna! Ahh! Elizabeth noo!"

Elizabeth began to walk towards me, looking as if she was trying to go against the pull but couldn't. "I can't go against it!" she wailed.

The sight made me wonder how long they took to rehearse this before they actually walked through the door.

"Ahhhhh!" Elizabeth leapt into my arms, "The magnet too strong."

"The magnet was too strong. Even for others who have nothing to do with Arinna and her life, but they find her anyway." Nicole gave me a pointed look.

"Hey, I never intend to find unconscious guys on my way home. That is my least favorite thing to discover." I frown.

"Sure it is." she sniffs, plopping down next to me, "So is the guy good or what?"  
"I don't know. The doctors haven't approached me yet." I tell her. "I'm waiting for the news."

"...So we are actually sticking around?" she sighs.

I hit her on top of the head, "Of course we are. I found him so I'm responsible."  
"And that is why you get thrown into trouble so often." Nicole shook her head. "Well, random unconscious dude aside…" she says, "How was the interview?"

"I think it went fine." I shrugged.

"That's it?" She frowned.

"Oh, I got the job, so yeah." The grin on my face couldn't get any brighter.

Nicole blinked once, then hit my shoulder, "Girl! Good job!" She cackled. "Knew you could do it!"

'Yay for Arinna!" Elizabeth didn't really look like she understood what we were talking about, but clapped anyway. "You got to wort!"

"Work." we correct her.

"Wort."  
"Work."

"...Wort?"  
"Know what, forget it. Close enough." Nicole pats her head.

"Excuse me?" a nurse suddenly approaches us, "You are Ms. Arinna yes, the one to come in with the man you found off the street?"

"That is me." I nod.

"Thank you for doing so. I came to let you know that his condition has stabilized and he is resting as we speak."

"So he is going to be alright?" I asked, worried.

"Yeah, is what he has curable?" Nicole nodded.

"Well, yes. With our diagnosis he seemed to have received food poisoning."

"Food poisoning?" Nicole's eyes widened. "That's it?"

"Well, Food Poisoning can be very dangerous in it's own sense. It is a good thing you found him when you did miss." The nurse turned to me, "With care and rest he should be back on his feet in no problem at all." she smiled. "The problem is though, we have no records on this young gentleman."

"None?" Nicole questioned

"Quite. We searched his belongings for any sign of an ID but nothing came up. We don't know his name and can't consult with his medical file for more information, which is causing a lot of problems for what steps we should take next. What we can tell is that he is suffering from Malnutrition and dehydration at the same time as when the food poisoning took place. Besides that there are no other injuries or problems. We set him up to an IV and he will need to start consuming more calories to ramify this problem." she glanced at us, "Are you sure you two have never seen this man before?"

"We don't know him. I don't even know what he looks like." Nicole folded her arms.

"Perhaps we could ask his name when he wakes up?" I suggest.

"If you want you can go into his room." the nurse offered. "We can't locate any family of his at the moment, but you are the ones who found him."

"Thank you." I move past her, headed straight to room. Elizabeth trailed behind me, but Nicole motioned for us to go on without her, taking a few extra minutes to talk to the nurse about something.

After a while Nicole moved to join us, and we stayed with the man for a good hour before he became conscious. I rose the second he began to stir. "Sir?" I asked, "Sir, can you hear me?"

He groaned, turning his head. Then his eyes opened.

"Oh thank goodness you are awake." I smiled as I bent over the man to stare at his face. He blinked blurrily at me for a few seconds, not sure how to comprehend what was happening.

"Where-?" he croaked.

"The hospital. I found you collapsed." I explained.

"Mister. Mister alright?" Elizabeth was trying to peek over the bed at him. He glanced wearily at her, confused.

"Who are you?" he inquired softly.

"That is Elizabeth." I tell him, "And I am Arinna. What is your name?"

The man stared at her his eyes slowly widening, "I'm… I'm Jake. Jake Brookfield." He said softly.

"Jake Brookfield." I noted. "I am so relieved you are okay."

"What happened?" panic began to seep into his eyes as he discovered where he was. "Why did I end up here?"

"Food poisoning." Nicole tells him, "Something you ate wasn't sitting well with ya."

His hand moves to his stomach and he nods slowly, "Oh… And you helped me?" he gave me a puzzled look.

"What I just suppose to leave you there?"

"I… well, no. Thank you." he takes a few deep breaths, "Will I be okay?"  
"The doctors said so, yes." I smile, "You'll make a full recovery and will be out of here in no time!"

Taking that in, Jake looked around rapidly. After a few seconds, his breathing got a little heavy, as if he was going into a panic. He gripped at his shirt, licking his lips and saying, "I…I c-can't pay… I mean- I don't…" the anxiety in his voice growing larger with each new phrase he attempted to choke out. "I can't pay."

"Jake. Hey." Nicole placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I got you covered."

I was just as shocked as Jake to hear this news and we both turned to her, "W…What?" he whispered.

"I paid for the treatment." Nicole announced. "And don't worry about paying me back, just focus on getting better, alright?"

"You… You did?" Jake was dumbstruck. "But why?" his voice was so quiet Nicole almost didn't hear him.

"Because I am an angel sent from the heavens above to watch over the souls who need aid in this world." She said valiantly, "So just shut up and be grateful."

I nudged her, "Nicole."

"It is true." she gives him a nod, "Rest up. You are going to need it. We'll go get a nurse." she turned, dragging Elizabeth and me out with her.

"I can't believe you paid for it." I say in awe when we get out into the hall.

"Like he was going to.," she snorted.

"Very nice." Elizabeth pats her knee.

"It is very nice." she says with pride, "I'm a saint." she waved her arms and moved down the halls slowly, attempting to be graceful but only slamming her knee into a cabinet. "GAH!"

A little while later, after telling the doctor that we learned Jake's identity, we started to head back home.

I paused though after seeing the doctor that helped Jake out before we leave, I wave to Nicole. "You two go ahead. I'm going to go thank that doctor."

"Got'cha." Nicole salutes and heads off with Elizabeth. When they were gone I go up to the doctor, beaming.

"I wanted to thank you for helping Jake."

He smiles, "All in a days work. Thank you for finding him." he glances at some paperwork, with a frown. "I don't think anyone else would if you hadn't."

"What do you mean?"

He shook it off, 'I…" he glances down at the hall, "We attempted to contact that young man's family." he informs me. "It wasn't until we- I shouldn't be telling you this. I'm sorry."  
"Wait-" I grab his arm. "Tell me what?"

000-**NICOLE**-000

Arinna visited Jake for the next two days after that. I figured she would, but there was something different about these visits.

Arinna was very gentle when it came to Jake, which wasn't unlike her, but something was just odd about it. Everything he wanted she would get, and she'd talk to him so softly, like she was worried he would break. It hadn't really started until after her talk with that doctor. I don't know what they talked about, but it was something serious I guess.

Not serious enough to keep him in the hospital though.

With how dehydrated his was and wanting to make sure the food poisoning was completely out of his system, she was relieved when the Doctor said he could leave this afternoon.

I on the other hand, couldn't really understand why Arinna always felt this obligation to help those she discovers. I ended up telling Agatha about this, and she said it was wonderful that Arinna was so kind.

"Yeah." I try to agree, "But it could get her into trouble one day."

"Perhaps." she smiles, "How is the young man doing anyway?"  
"He is being released today. Not sure what he is going to do though. From the looks I'm getting from Arinna, I'm sure she'll want him to move in with us."  
"Would you let him?"  
"My apartment is full." I gag. "And we can't just take in people willy nilly. We've known him two days, hardly enough time to become room mates."

Agatha rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "What exactly is he like?"

I shrug, "Short attention span. Easily distracted. You should see him just trying to get through a conversation, the guy is all over the place." I pause, "Not saying I can spot the systems easily, but I swear he's got ADHD. Maybe OCD too?" I trailed off. "Always gets so nervous, like he expects Arinna to disappear out of thin air or something. You should see him around Elizabeth. It's like he thinks she'll shatter or something if he speaks too loud. He get's along well with her though. He is like a shy little kid around her." I smiled, thinking back to what happened this morning.

Elizabeth had brought Jake some apples to help make him strong again and started cutting them for her. Jake has gone completely pale when Elizabeth pulled out the knife and tried to stop her, going shaky and stuttering, "T-T-That is really dangerous. Who gave you that knife? You shouldn't have a knife-"

She sliced that apple into perfect slices so fast, he barely had time to blink before she was holding out the first piece to him. "Ahh." she commanded, wanting him to open his mouth. "He comes the choo-choo twain~"

He didn't say a word the entire time he ate, staring at he with such bewilderment.

Agatha was chuckling as I told her this, "He sounds very sweet. You should bring him by when he gets out of the hospital."

"That is the plan. Arinna wants him to have dinner with us." I said with dread. This was how it starts. He comes for dinner, and then he stays forever. Glancing down at my wrist when my watch began to beep I sighed, "Well, gotta go pick him up. Arinna insisted on giving him a ride." Arinna insists on a lot of things with Jake, even if he doesn't always agree. I don't think he has the heart to say no to her though since she helped him.

Grabbing my bag, I got my keys out a waved goodbye to Agatha, heading straight for the hospital. From there I found Jake waiting in the lobby as Arinna signed him out.

"Jake." I wave to him.

"Nicole." he nods, "Thanks for the ride." he pauses, "Where are we going again?" he is messing with the button on his shirt, flicking it around continuously.

"My place. Arinna wants you to join us for dinner, remember?" Which I wasn't sure how that was going to work at first with our other roommates, but Michelle agreed to let Leatherhead and Picasso stay at her place for the night.

'Right, right. Dinner. I like a good dinner. What is for dinner?"

I shrug, "I dunno. What do you like?"  
"Anything."

'...Really helps give me an idea of what to make, thanks." I frown at him. He visibly shrinks into his shirt.  
"Sorry." he shuffles his feet, "I don't mean to make things difficult for you… or for Arinna. You've both done so much for me already. I don't deserve it."

"You sure don't." I snort, nudging him. He doesn't take the joke and looks a little heart broken. "Joke. Totally a joke." I say quickly. "You are a nice guy Jake. I mean, Arinna doesn't mind talking with you, if that is what you are worried about. She's grown pretty attached. She does that with every person she finds collapsed on the ground for some reason-"

"That sounds like she finds a lot of people like that."  
"...More or less." I sigh.

"I'm glad she found me. I would have died." Jake nodded to himself.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far, but you were pretty bad off-"

"She was really loud when she found me. She was screaming and screaming and screaming." Jake was rambling, interrupting me every chance he got. I didn't mind, I suppose, and only nodded when he spoke.

"Yeah, Arinna can be pretty loud." I chuckle, "Though, I'll tell you right now, sometimes I get pretty loud too."

Through the entire conversation I couldn't help but catch the active motion of Jake's hands. He was always messing with something. Whether it was his shirt- medical robe thing-, the band on his arm, the sides of the bed or even the contents on the table next to him, he was always messing with them. Like he was adjusting them, making them perfect in whatever way he wanted them but moving so often that if he wasn't doing something then everything was wrong.

I was blunt to ask, "You got OCD or something?"

He gave me a wild look, "You- how did you know?"

"A guess." I humored him.

"When I was younger I was diagnosed with OCD." Jake said with a nod. "I've also been told I am ADHD. Is that obvious too?"

"No." I try to say, but can't keep a straight face, "Yeah. Yeah, it is. Really obvious. Not that anything is wrong with it. I'm going to medical school right now, and I have 3 classmates who have OCD. Which really doesn't help with the field they are going into. You are a lot like them, so I was just wondering. I like to get things out in the open."

He nods a few times, looking to his right when Arinna approached us. "Okay! Lets go!" she pumps her fist.

Jake mimicked the motion and they ran out of the car. I groaned, "I don't want to run." I jog after them. Cramming into the car, we made our way back to the apartment where Arinna and me went through books upon books of cooking recipes to get an idea of what to make for the night.

Finally deciding it was going to be simple spaghetti I got it cooking, "So Jake, what are you gonna do now?"

He moved the fork to his right, glancing at me, "..." he shrugged.

"Good life plan." I roll my eyes, "You could get a job." I suggest.

"I'm not good at finding jobs." he says, "I struggle to- that is a nice plant." he points to the plant in the corner of the room.  
"Thanks!" Arinna gushes. I sigh at them.

Deciding to drop the subject and lets things just happen as they happen, we finished our dinner in peace. Jake didn't like to talk much about his past or how he ended up on the streets, and we didn't push him to tell us. His business was his business.

"I am curious though." I admit, "What did you eat the day you got food poisoning."  
Jake struggled to remember, "I drank some water. Someone gave me a bagel, which was nice of them. And an egg."

"An egg from where?" Arinna frowns.

"..." he purses his lips and I knew he was going to say the garbage. With how skinny he was, he was probably starving.

"It was probably the egg." I conclude.

"Yeah, probably." he agrees.

"Well, hey, think of it as a lesson. Never eat eggs you find in the garbage ever again." Arinna chuckles.

Jack nodded, "Definitely." he glanced around, "So, it is just you two that live here?"

"No- I mean, yes." Arinna panics for a second, slipping up. "Just Nicole and me."

"What about Elizabeth? I noticed her isn't here." he looked around. Arinna glanced at me, hoping for me to explain.

"She is my niece." I tell him, scowling at her for putting me on the spot. "She doesn't normally live here."

"Where is she now?" he sounded as if he was sad she wasn't joining us.

"Day camp." Arinna lies. "Or something."  
"Or… something?"

"Day camp." I kick Arinna from under the table. She flinches.

"Day… camp." she says through gritted teeth.

"Oh." nodding a few times, Jake messes with the silverware. "How long have you two known each other?"  
"Since preschool." We say

"Long time."  
"The years went by before we even realized it." Arinna chuckles.

"They tend to do that." Jake agrees with a small smile. "...Do you two videogames?"

"Yes." I raise my hand.

"More or less?" Arinna cringes, "I like watching people play them more than actually playing them myself."

"Because she is really bad at them." I snort. She elbows me.

"I try my best." she insists.

Jake gives us a small chuckle, "Well, thank you for the dinner. It was really good."  
"No problem." we rise from our seats to walk him towards the door.

"Do you have somewhere to stay for the night?" Arinna looks worried.

"Well, yes and no? I'd have to go by and make sure." he says nervously, "B-But don't worry, I'll figure it out."

Arinna looks ready to invite him over to stay the night, but I stop her, giving her the best subtle look I can to remind her that there is a turtle and giant alligator mutant living with us. Sighing, she lowers her gaze and nods.

"If… If anything happens, don't be afraid to stop by." she tells him.

"You've already done enough." he glances at his feet, "Thank you, again."  
"Don't sweat it." I pat his back.

"Have a nice night." he waves to use and disappears down the elevator.

After that we didn't see him for a couple of days.

Surprisingly enough, Jake didn't stay like I thought he would. I mean, I'm sure Arinna will go to visit him, but he wanted to go off and find his own way. Get a job, something he can stay with, and pay me back for paying his medical bills. I kept telling him he didn't need to worry about it, but he was very insistent.

I was actually super proud to watch him walk out that door, his head held high with determination. I went to work with a happy feeling, hoping Jake could find the job he was searching for.

That feeling turned into confusion when I came back to the apartments to find him there again.

"Wait, what?" I blinked rapidly when I noticed Jake standing in the middle of the lobby, messing with a bouquet of white daisies. "Jake?"

He lifted his head at the sound of his name. "Hi Nicole." he waved.  
"What are you doing here?" I approached him.

"Ms. Agatha invited me."

"...Why?" I inquired suspiciously, narrowing my eyes.

"Nicole." Agatha tsked, coming back from the back room, "Don't give that kind of look to my guests."

"You don't have guests." I accused, dreading where this was going, "Why is he here?"

"He'll be living here. I just hired him." Agatha smiled at Jake who smiled sheepishly.

I was shocked, "You're letting him stay and work in the apartments?"

"Yes." Agatha nodded. "He'll be your new neighbor. You seem to be getting a bunch of those." Agatha mused.

"I- you- well I mean… Okay?" so much for him not staying forever, "Sure, why not? He can stay. But…" I point to her, "Speaking of which, am fine with Jake moving in. Nice guy. But Stockman?"

"Oh." Agatha scoffs, "Nicole, honestly, you need to let this go. Stockman, while he may be a little… odd, if a very nice young man. You are over exaggeration."  
"Hardly!" I disagree, "You don't know that little creep ball like I do! He is weird and annoying and self centered-"

"He is moving in within a couple days Nicole, nothing can change that." she goes behind the desk and pulls out some keys, passing them to me. "Now be a dear and show Jake to his new home."

Clumsily catching the keys I glare at her, sighing, "I don't like this." I call to her when she disappears into the back. Waiting a few seconds to wait for her reply, I turned to Jake when she didn't. "Okay fine, come on Jake." we head up the elevator.

"Are you sure you are okay with me living here?" he asks.  
"Yeah, why not?" I grumble. He looks around awkwardly. "I do have some rules." that catches his attention.

"Rules?" he inquires.

"You are not allowed to come into our apartment without permission. If you hear a lot of noise, you ignore it. If you see something strange, like something big or little that theoretically doesn't look like it should exist, come and tell me about it before you tell Agatha. That is the most important rule."

Jake frowned at this, "Those are some odd rules."  
"Michelle thinks they are fine."  
"Then Michelle is weird." he mumbled.

"She is." I agree, "...But so am I, and Arinna, and you, Mr. Egg eater."

"It was one egg." he jumped, startled, his voice raising. Shocked since it was the first time he spoke up with me, I smirked.

"But you did still ate it and got sent to the hospital because of it. I'm never letting you live that down." I inform him.

Red dusting at his cheeks, he clutches his bag close to his chest and turns, "I was starving. I didn't have any other choice. You would have done the same thing probably. Or- Or something!" he sticks his tongue out at me.

It was childish and cute.

"Oooh," I nod, sticking my tongue right back at him, making a face. "Sure thing, whatever helps you sleep at night."

Exiting the elevator, I hold my arm out to stop him. He looks confused by this, but I give him a blank look as I peek out and look down both sides of the hall. No one was out of the room, meaning he wouldn't see Picasso or Leather Head.

"What are you doing?" he asks, trying to get around my arm and step out.

"I'm uh-" I pause, smirking, "I thought Agatha told you about this?" I lean a little closer to him. He shrinks a bit, frowning.

"About what?" he whispers.

"She didn't." I cringe, "Oh boy. She probably should have before you agree to live here." I shake my head, hoping I could keep a serious face with this.

Jake's eyes double in size, "T-Tell me about what?" he demands.

"Well, you see, there is this old lady that lives one floor below us. Her name is Revenbard. Wonderful lady, but she is known to have a little… tick, if you will."  
'Tick?"  
"Every day after she has a meal, she wonders the halls of this apartment complex. It is a well known fact that you need to be constantly aware of your surroundings when you leave your apartment because if she sees you… she charges."

"...Charges?" he went pale.

I nod, "Drops down on all fours like a ragging pig and sprints at you. If you are fast enough you can get to elevator, she never goes in there. The metal walls remind her of her childhood that consisted of her father making her pull of the can openers of soda pop."

"...You're lying." he frowns  
"Am I?" I asked innocently. "Then maybe you should ask Jimmy. He lives right below you, you know. He's seen it. Barely escaped her midnight snacking frenzy when he came home from work late. There is a chunk of his lower shin missing."

Jake looks terrified as we make our way down to his room. As I unlock it he looks around the halls wildly, "W-When does she usually eat?"

"It is different every day." I sigh sadly, "Agatha would do something about it but, bless her soul, the last time she tried Revenbard almost tore of her head. Agatha barely escaped by locking herself in a maintenance closet for two hours. Would kick Revenbard out too if it wasn't for her delectable cinnamon cookies she brings to Christmas parties."

Nodding numbly he steps into his apartment, looking too numb to truly appreciate that he has a new home. "Um-" he licks his lips, "T-Thanks for the warning." he glances around, putting his coat down. "So this is mine?"

"Yup." I nod, "Welcome home." I put the keys on the hook, "But uh-" I scratch my head, hoping I didn't scare the poor guy too much, "If you need anything Arinna and me are right down the hall. Michelle is super nice too, so I'm sure she would help you with anything you need."

Eyes still caught on the room around him he runs his hand over the top of the table, "Thank you." he sounds a little choked up and clears his throat, "Thank you again Nicole."  
"Don't thank me." I tell him, moving to the door, "Arinna is the one who found you."  
He smiles brightly, "Yeah. I'm grateful for that. My life- my whole life seems to have turned around because of that."  
"Arinna tends to do that." I chuckle. Giving him a wave, I close the door and leave him to his new room, going back to my own apartment to give Arinna the news. She squeals, jumping wildly.  
"He's our neighbor?!"  
"Yeah, Agatha gave him the keys today."

"Oh! Oh how lovely! I'll have to bring him a house warming gift!" she cheers. In which she ended up bringing him a cactus of all things. Not sure what convinced her to do so, but Jake accepted it without question. Not really sure he knew how to take care of it though since he gave Arinna the most bewildered look when she gave it to him.

"...Thanks?" A day later Jake came out of the elevator with a "Dummies guides to taking care of cactuses."

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, I had to laugh at both the book and the fact that he pressed himself against the wall to take a look of his surrounding, looking wildly for Revenbard.

"Hey Jake." I wave to him from down the hall, trying my best not to giggle.

He straightens and looks at us. "Hello Nicole." he smiles, "Hi Elizabeth."

"Hi Jakey!" Elizabeth yells. She calls him Jakey for whatever reason now.

"Taking good care of that cactus?" I ask him. He attempts to hide the book behind his back.

"Yup."

"Need any help with it?"

"Nope." he pouts a bit and walks backwards towards his room to avoid us seeing the book. "Gotta go. Gotta go wash my… shorts." he frowns at his own words and disappears into his room. Elizabeth chuckles.

"He is silly."

"He sure is." I pat her head and we move inside. Once within I tell Arinna that Jake is really putting in an effort to keep the Cactus she gave him alive.

"Aww." she cooes, "That is so sweet." she is currently feeding Picasso, who is being difficult. "Picasso." she sighs, "Come on now-" he hits the spoon away, "It is just carrots."  
"No one likes carrots." I pull out the paper.

"Carrots are yummy for you." she tells him, "C'mon now. Here comes the train." she makes train noises, which only seems to heighten his attempts to hit the spoon out of her hands. He had officially begun to walk on his own at this point, with a few shaky steps here and there.

We couldn't believe our eyes when he pulled himself up to his feet using a chair. I knew he was enhanced, I just never thought he would walk one day like leatherhead. The world sure is strange.

"Picasso." Arinna scolds when he spits the carrot out onto her face. "No no. No thank you."

He looks away, throwing his arms to the side and hitting the bowl of carrots off the high chair. I laugh at the sight.  
"You aren't helping." she turns to me with a huff.

"I'm not trying to help." I snort. Scowling, which feels weird for Arinna to do, she kneels down to pick up the carrots, her expression softening again.

"How about something else then?" she asks him. Picasso glances at her, pointing to the fridge, which meant yes.

Watching her go to make some other elaborate meal for the baby turtle, I glance around, noticing how quiet it was. "...Where is Elizabeth?" I frown when I realize she isn't around.

Arinna takes a few looks around the room and calls, "Elizabeth?" she doesn't answer. Frowning, I moved into the two bedrooms as well as the bathroom and closets- she wasn't there. I saunter back to the kitchen, confused.

"What in the world-?" I question. I just saw her five minutes ago, where could she have gone?

"I don't even know where Leather head went." Arinna huffs, "Did they go visit Michelle?"

"They didn't say they were." I shake my head; worried they just walked out of the apartment. "I'll go ask Michelle-"  
A piercing scream echoed through the halls before it suddenly cut off.

Freezing at the noise, I shot a look at Arinna, who had jumped at the sound. That was Jake.

"Jake?!" we barrel out the door and into the hall. Scrambling to the other side, finding that his front door was wide open. "Jake?" I run inside without a second thought, "What is going on?! What happened?!" I turn into his bedroom, shocked at what I find.

Jake is pinned the floor by a single large palm, while another covered his mouth. His muffled screams were ecstatic as he thrashed against his captor… who was a big alligator.  
"Wha-" the dumb confusion and panic is something I can not describe, "Leatherhead?!" I scream at him, "What are you doing?!"

Leatherhead looks at me, his eyes wide and frightened. "He… he screamed. It startled me." he stammered.

Jake, who was still screaming in a muffled sound, glancing wildly from Leatherhead to me, raising an eyebrow, his screams sounding a bit confused.

"Leather head." Arinna sighs, holding her hands out in exasperation. "Why did you come over here?"

Leatherhead glanced over his shoulder, shifting. It was only when he moved that I noticed Elizabeth standing behind him. She shifted her weight nervously, tugging sheepishly at the bottom of her shirt.

"...Elizabeth." I frown at her, placing my hands on my hips, "What did you do?"

"I-I just… I just wanted Jakey to meet my friend." she said so quietly I almost didn't hear her.

"What is all the commotion about?" Michelle peeked her head in, rubbing at her eyes as if she had just woken up from a nap. "Have none of you ever heard of a good night's rest? I would really enjoy having a night of peace." she hobbles in and takes a look at her surroundings, "Oh Leatherhead, let the poor boy go. Heaven's know he probably needs as much rest as I."

"...Michelle. Think it through." I frown at her, realizing she was half awake.

She blinks dully at me. "... Oh, Jake. What are you doing in Nicole's apartment?"

"He isn't in our apartment. We're in his." Arinna tells her. '

"...Oh." she nods then freezes, " AH! Leatherhead!" she yelps, "What are you doing in here- Oh Jake, this is not an Alligator. It is a man in a- a suit! Yes, a big man in a big alligator suit!"  
"Michelle it is too late." I sigh.

"Shh." she hushes me as if she still thinks we could wiggle our way out of this. "He does not realize."  
"I think he does realize!"

"He does not. Let me handle this." she approaches Jake then, taking his hand into her own, "Listen Jake, this is all a simply illusion."  
"Hmph?" he question, Leatherhead's hand still over his mouth.

"Yes, a big illusion consisting of Nicole, Arinna, Elizabeth, and myself." she nods.

"And Leatherhead." Arinna adds in.

"Leatherhead is not here." Michelle waves her off, "He does not exist."

"I don't?" he asks.

"You do, but you do not." she agrees

"Heaven give us strength." I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Michelle, this is not working. This is the opposite of working."  
"Come on Nicole, give it a chance." Arinna insists.  
"Did I take crazy pills?!" I demand, "He knows! Look at him! He knows!"

"He definitely will if you keep screaming about it." Arinna folds her arms with a huff.

"AGH!" I turn around and throw my hands into the air, "Forget it! I give up!"

"An illusion~" Michelle wiggles her fingers at him. "An illusio-" she trails off when something small crawls on top of Leatherhead's chest and rolls onto Jake's chest.

"Pic-" Arinna covers her mouth and I turn to see what happened only to find that Picasso has some how managed to get out of his high chair, into the hall, all the way down here.

"HOW?!" I point at him. He was only going to make this worse.

"This is a doll!" Arinna screams in a panic, picking up Picasso. "A fake doll that can kind of move and make noises."

"He is also a baby." Elizabeth tells Jake.

"Elizabeth stop talking to him. Stop talking." Michelle motions for her to step away. Elizabeth does as she is told, blinking rapidly.

"I can't handle this today." I groan, "I mean, how did I even expect for us to keep this a secret? Of course we can't! Because I'm the only person in this whole world who knows how serious it is to keep this secret, but not all of you! Oh no! You all just prance around cheering about it." I do a little dance and Arinna hits me. I hit her right back.

She gasps, looking appalled. Putting Picasso down on the couch she hits me again.

Ooohhhh the gloves are off here. I pop my knuckles and tackle her. Together we roll on the ground, Elizabeth pleading with us to stop only to leap onto my back. I shriek at this and we tumble into the table.

"Girls! Girls!' Michelle roars at us, patting Jake's face, "Remember, illusion." Jake is breathing heavily, his eyes wide and searching. "Oh, Leatherhead let up a bit, the poor dear looks ready to pass out."

Leatherhead nods and lifts his palm a bit to let Jake breath, "Should I do something?" Leatherhead asked Michelle.  
"Might as well." she shakes her head. "If you do not Agatha might just come up here to see what all the commotion is."

Thus we were separated from Leatherhead and placed in chairs in front of Jake.

"So… talking alligators." he asks. We nod. "And a mutant turtle baby?" we nod again. "... Should I just assume this isn't actually your niece then?" he points to Elizabeth.

"They found my on the streets when I was chased by the ninja clan called the Foot." Elizabeth tells him.

"..." Jake lowers his hand and nods, not even able to comment on that one. "Right. Is there anything weird about you three I should know then?"

"I work at a Bakery dude." I sigh, "This is super weird for me too."

"My soul is attracted to the abnormal and bizarre." Arinna admits,

"It's true." I whisper to him.

"And I am… a photographer who just so happens to take pictures of weird things. Honestly a pretty normal life for anyone in my profession." Michelle admits.

"Dude, none of this is normal." I frown at her, "Don't even pretend it is."  
"Would you rather I go into a panic?" she inquires.

"Maybe?" I huff, "I dunno. You do realize I just take this day-by-day, right? I have no plan or preparation for any of this and just wing it."  
"Me too." she said in understanding.

"So… this is all a big secret?" he concludes.

"Yes." we all nod.

"And you want me to keep this secret." it wasn't a question.

"It is really important that you do." Michelle agrees.

"And if you don't we will have Leatherhead eat you." I say as unthreatening as possible while completely being threatening. Jake tenses a bit and glances at Leatherhead, who bares his fangs at him. He squeaks a bit.

"We wouldn't let him eat you." Arinna puts her hand on Leatherhead's hand to stop him. "But this is important to us Jake." she pleads with him, "We'll explain everything if you just listen."

Glancing at her, Jake hesitated. "I… I owe you my life Arinna." he tells her, "I owe all of you just as much actually." he glances around at his house. "I'll listen and try my very best to understand and keep this secret of yours."

"Yay Jakey!" Elizabeth ran to him. "Okay, I am kind of being hunter by a ninja group." she tells him

"Wha- kind of?" he stammered.

"Let's just get this out of the picture, the only one we fully know the background story of and why they are the way they are is Leatherhead here and even he says he was experimented on by aliens, which would mean aliens exist." I say heavily.

"The Kraang." Leatherhead growls.

"Right, the _Kraang." _I roll my eyes, "I have no idea who they are, but knowing our luck, we'll find out one day.

Jake struggles for a second, "And I thought my life was messed up."  
"You've never really told us much about that," Arinna points out. "I mean… you never told us how you ended up on the street."

Jake looks nervous, "I'm not good at finding a job."

"And you couldn't go with your parents either…" Arinna looks away. There is a sad look on her face, "I didn't mean to pry on your life Jake."  
He turns back at her, "What do you mean by that?"  
"The doctor informed me of your past. They- they tried to contact your family while you were at the hospital. When they looked into it and asked the police, they told them that your parents…"  
Jake looks startled suddenly and looks away.

"Your parents passed away when you were young." Arinna finished. I hadn't expected this information, and it hit me like a brick. The whole room goes quiet.

"I… had no idea." I admit

"It was a long time ago." Jake sighs, "I'm surprised they had records on it."

"If it means anything, I know how you feel." Arinna tells him softly. She reaches out for his hand, giving it a squeeze, "My parents didn't pass away but, my mother left me at a young age, and my Father was- well, he was absent too, so I know what it feels like to grow up without parents."

Giving her a wide look, Jake squeezed her hand back.

"I-" Michelle clears her throat, "My father passed away when I was younger. Killed by a despicable man."

Definitely not expecting that, I whip around to face her, "You… never told us that." I tell her breathlessly.

"It was something that was hard to just bring up." she sniffs, "He was the reason I moved here to New York- to try and start a new life- or move on from the one I left behind."

Feeling a melancholy tone fill the room, I leaned back, "I can't say I understand how any of you feel cause my parents are still with me, but I know what it feels like to lose people… important people. And I know this is probably really weird for you right now Jake, trust me. But we keep each other's secrets and protect one another. We're family." I emphasize that, "So, as a friend to another, please don't tell anyone about these guys. I don't think I could handle after to part with another important person." I was quick to add, "And I would be really angry if I had to say good bye to these guys. I mean, I just started to get use to them."

Elizabeth giggles at that, hugging my leg.

"Well…" Jake smiles, "If you promise not to assault me again, I'll keep your secret."  
"..." I cringe, "I honestly can't promise that. I attack Michelle on a daily basis for her antics."

"Just this morning she threw a milk carton at me." Michelle sighed, "Granted it was partially my fault, but it was still a full carton."

Jake suddenly snorts, covering his mouth and turning his body to look away. "T-That- why?" he laughs.  
"She stole my newspaper." I say, because that situation is completely reasonable to throw a milk carton.

Jake is clutching his stomach, ready to fall on the floor and roll around. Arinna can't seem but giggling herself, and eventually, we all are. Whether I realized it or not, and while it didn't go exactly as the others did, Jake was here to stay.

* * *

**YAY! It is done! Hallelujah!**

**This chapter took me so long and I didn't mean for it too, again, so sorry. **

**Hopefully the next chapter won't take too long? A lot of it is already written, but that means nothing in my sense of updating. **

**That aside, I really hope you liked this chapter and our new character Jake. I really enjoyed writing him and I hope I did him justice. He belongs to the amazing Jack Rusell! Thank you again for sending in your character. **

_**For all of those who have characters already within the story, if there is something you want to see, don't be afraid to request it. Such as, if you want to see your character visit somewhere or do/say something, don't be afraid to tell me!**_


	12. Fists, Wrenches, claws, and brooms

**See, if I focus, I can get chapters out pretty decently. At least, for one story. **

**But anyway, yeah, HERE WE GO! This chapter is long, so I hope you like it. Sorry for any spelling/grammar errors you find. I swear I try my best to catch them all, I just can't seem to do it though -_-**

* * *

"Jake! You have your own apartment! GO HOME!" I heard Nicole screaming one beautiful Saturday morning. Sauntering out of my room, I peek out towards the entertainment area to see Jake sprawled out on our couch.

He is wringing his hands through the blanket, blinking wildly at Nicole. For the past five nights we've awoken to find Jake passed out on our couch. (I'm not sure when he got a key to get in here. I suppose he would have one since he works into the building thouh and is responsible for cleaning the halls and such.)

"Your couch is comfy." he says.

"I am aware it is comfy, I bought it and it is mine- but comfy or not, why are you on it?" Nicole demanded, reaching her hands out as if she intended to strangle the younger adult. Jake ducked to the left, rolling off the couch completely to avoid her.

"There isn't any heating in my home yet." he tried to explain.

"You've lived on the streets for months! Deal with it!" she leapt over the couch to make another grab at him. He scrambled away, putting a table between himself and her. "How do you even keep getting in here?" she ran around the table only for him to run around the other side and avoid her.

"You leave the spare under the matt."  
"I told you not to do that. It is too predictable." I speak up.

"Arinna." Nicole turns to me, "Tell him to leave."  
'Want to join us for breakfast, Jake?" I smile at him. He perks up in a way I only ever see a child do and it makes me chuckle.

"Arinna. Arinna no, I said kick him out, not invite him for food. We have to be consistent with him." Nicole scolds me.

"Ooh shh. You are being over-dramatic. He is our friend and if he wants to spend the night than we should let him." I wave her off.

"Not if he leaves 4 apartments over!"

"Would you prefer Stockman spend the night?" I asked innocently. Nicole practically contorted into herself, her expression the very description of disgust.

"Don't even suggest that." she hissed.

"Then there, it is settled." I say in victory.

"Who is Stockman?" Jake asks, taking a seat.

"He is going to be our new neighbor here in a couple of days." I explain to him. "Nicole and I use to know him in high school."

"He is a horrible horrible nerd Jake. Don't interact with him when he gets here." Nicole points at him with her fork.

"He isn't that bad." I sigh at her then lean over to Jake, "Nicole and him have had this ongoing fight for years. They are both just too stubborn to put aside their differences and get along. I swear, if they did, they might actually be good friends." I whisper to him.  
"I heard that. We would not!" she bellowed.

"Not what?" Elizabeth asks softly as she waddles towards the table, her little palm rubbing the sand out of her eyes.

"Be friends with a meanie." Nicole lifts Elizabeth up. Elizabeth grins at her.

"Meanies are mean." she said. "But Nicole isn't a meanie. She is nice."

"Aww, thanks." Nicole grinned.

A second later the door opened and Michelle stumbled inside, "Morning." she yawned.

Nicole held up her hand in a '_what are you doing?',_ motion. "I don't remember inviting all of you over to have breakfast here." she says.

"You owe me for babysitting Leather Head, Picasso and Elizabeth." Michelle sniffs, plopping down. "What are we having-?"

Suddenly, Jake was in front of her, staring at her hoodie with narrowed eyes. He didn't say anything, and just glared.

"…What?" Michelle frowned. Jake reached out, taking the strings of the hoodie she was wearing into his hands. He began to adjust them, making them perfectly symmetrical with the other.

"Sorry… it was bugging me." He mumbled.

"Oh." Michelle glanced down at them. "Okay?"

Shuffling back to his seat, Jake shrunk a bit when Leather Head came into the room, carrying Picasso with him. "Good morning~" He places Picasso in his high chair. Those two seem to be around each other a lot. I think Leather Head has this kind of protective urge to Picasso- perhaps since he was the youngest and smallest of all of us. Or the fact that Picasso was the only other mutant in this crazy group.  
"Morning Leather head." we wave at him. "How did you sleep?" I ask.

"Well." he smiles, "May I help you make breakfast?"

Touched since he was the only one to offer his help I nod, "I would appreciate that." I hand him some plates to help set the table.

"I'll help too." Jake rises and grabs the silverware. It took him 10 minutes to set them out- they had to be perfectly straight I guess.

Chuckling, we sat down and ate our fill. It was a good breakfast if I do say so myself, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Michelle was dabbing at the edges of her lips with a napkin, glancing at the clock.

"Oh, I have to go." she rises and grabs her camera. "Thank you for the meal, as always."

"Freeloader." Nicole grumbles at her.

"You tackled me down an entire flight of stairs." she whistles innocently.

"You have got to stop using the against me!" Nicole yelled, "It was one time, and I want to say we are even since you keep taking my newspaper even though I know you get your own. Why do you even need two newspapers anyway?"

"I have my own hobbies mind you." Michelle turned to grab her camera.

"What sort of hobby involves newspapers?" Jake questioned.

Michelle winks at him, "That is my little secret." she heads for the door, "See you all after work!"  
"Bye-bye!' Elizabeth waves to her.

"Have a nice day," I call to her. Finishing my own plate, I went to my room to change. Sliding out, I twirled in front of the group. "How do I look?" I asked, my new work clothes spinning with me.

"Like a secretary." Nicole says bluntly.

"Well that is basically what I am, so perfect." I straighten the shirt. "Jake, male opinion, your thoughts?"  
Jake's eyes widen a bit, "...I'm not really the person to go to for advice on clothes. Or anything for that matter." he says.  
"Oh come on, what do you think." I nudge him a bit.

"It's… nice?"

"Nice as in she looks nice or nice as in you are just saying that because you have nothing else to say?" Leather head inquires.

"Important question there Leatherhead." I pat his head, "Well Jake, which is it?"

'You look nice because you look nice." he pouts, "But it is very grey."  
"Work appropriate." I nod with a sigh. "Always a little bland. You know, while at work my boss told me an interesting fact about the color gray." I smile,

"What?" the others ask.  
"Well, he was talking about the differences between Gray spelled with an A, and Grey spelled with an E. Both mean the same color, so how come you can spell them differently?" I ask them

They shrug, "We don't know."

"Michelle spells gray with an E." Nicole points out.

"She would because she is from England. British English spells Grey with an E, while American english spells it with an A." I explain to them.

"Well that is weird." Jake frowns, "Why didn't we just keep with the E?"

I shrug, "I don't know, but that is how it is. So properly, it is spelled with an e, but in America you'll usually find it spelled with and A."

"Grey or Gray, it doesn't matter- it is still a pretty bland color." Nicole snorts.  
"Would be nice if you could add something brightly colored. Like a bow. A rainbow bow." Jake pauses, "Rainbow bow." he makes a face as if saying bow twice disgusted him. "Nice rainbow thing to go in your hair." he corrects himself.

"I have one of those!' Elizabeth slides off her chair and runs to her room/Nicole's room, since this apartment is only so big so they share a room. Scurrying back a few seconds later, Elizabeth motions for me to bend down. Doing so, I smiled when she clipped something onto the side of my forehead. Using the fridge's reflection to look, I smile at the beautiful rainbow clip.

"It is wonderful, Elizabeth." I tell her.

She gushes, "Looks nice on you. B-But I want it back eventually. I need it for my tea party later."

"Oh I will for sure." we lock our pinkies together.

"Well you don't have to go for a few hours right? Anyone want to watch a movie?" Nicole wiggles her eyebrows.

"Yes!" Elizabeth and Jake's hands shoot up like wild fire.

Picasso and Leather Head on the other hand only blink, they shrug. It was weird to see Picasso shrug.

"Movie it is." Nicole concludes. "But later I have to head off to the shop and check in on things."

"I'll come too!" Elizabeth giggles, running towards the couch.

* * *

**0000- Michelle-000**

Humming to herself, Michelle practically skipped through the streets of New York after work, feeling refreshed and energized- which was a weird feeling to have after leaving her job.

Life had become really grand lately thanks to her new friends. Honestly, it was not exactly how she had planned it to be, but that did not really matter. She was happy with how things were, even if they were a little strange.

Her life had always been strange anyway. Nothing in her life could be considered fully normal.

So it made only sense that her friends would be a little odd too.

Chuckling, she glanced down at her camera, changing the settings a bit and lifting the lense up to her face. Zooming in on different buildings and people, she took a few good shots. Taking pictures was her career and passion- she just loved the feeling of the camera in her hands.

There was nothing better than capturing a perfect moment, allowing the moment to live for years to come.

One of her favorite things to do with her camera was explore. She would take strange turns on the way home all the time in an attempt to catch something new on film. You would be surprised to how many strange things she has seen in this city alone. (And that doesn't involve her neighbors.)

"Oh." she paused as she passed any alley, "I've never been through this way before." cutting through the heavy crowd, she was happy for the amount of people in the area to drastically cut short.

Moving through the alleyway, curious to where it lead, she scanned the tall buildings surrounding her. New York's vast and winding street ways never ceased to amaze her.

Realizing she had come to some sort of hidden alley way blocked by broken pipes and boxes, she carefully moved through them. Her father's words echoed in her brain as she did this.

"_Remember Michelle, curiously killed the cat. You must always be aware of what you are getting yourself into."_

She paused to sigh sadly. Oh how she missed him so. Clutching her camera close, feeling a tear prick her eye at the very thought of her diseased father, she froze when something clanked above her. Pressing against the wall in surprise, she looked up, only able to catch a glimpse of a figure. They were above her, hanging from what appeared to be a clothesline from the apartments above. Worried for a second that they got stuck and were about to fall, she gasped when they back flipped off the line. Ready to whip out her phone and call an ambulance when they went _splat, _her hand froze against her jeans.

They landed on the small wall in front of her not with a splat, but with a gentle swoosh of wind and a twirl. She was shielded by the boxes towering to her right and was positive the figure couldn't see her, but she could see them.

It was a girl, and a young one at that from what she could tell. Maybe late teens?

What was she doing out here performing these dangerous stunts? Going for some sort of Parkour perhaps?

With more grace then Michelle could ever possibly hope to have one day, the girl leapt off the small wall, landing upon the wooden post with pin point accuracy. Holding her hands out, she gently moved them in a swaying motion, as if she was doing a type of dance.

Michelle was dumbstruck at the sight.

It was- well, it was beautiful. Caught in a trance, she watched the young girl dance, or whatever she was doing, with baited breath. Worried she would stop if Michelle spoke up, she felt this urge to pull out her camera. How could one not take a picture of some so elegant?

And in such perfect lighting too!

Scrambling to lift it too her face without making a noise, she paused when the girl bent back. She had been wearing a hat, but the motion caused the head gear to shift.

As the hat fell from her head, the girl's hair cascaded down her back gently and her ears pointed upward- wait a minute… what?

Her fuzzy ears were pointed upward? Like… Like a cat's?!

The camera almost slipped from her fingers and Michelle had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Yup, those were definitely cats ears.

…This girl has cat ears.

AND A TAIL! The girl had a tail! A fluffy tail that was just wagging back and forth. Why did she not notice that- why did this girl have ears and a tail?!

In all honestly, Michelle should not be surprised by this point. She was just having breakfast with a mutant alligator for pete's sake, but come on! What is with this city? What is with her and her friends? Why did everyone she know have to run into the bizarre?

Once in a life time encounters they say. More like, every gosh darn week encounters!

"_Good work, Tessa_." A deep voice suddenly echoed through the alley making Michelle jump. Pressing further against the wall, she peeked out to see a new being step forward.

Now she knew she was going crazy.

She had to be seeing things. SHE HAD TO! There was no way something like this would be happening to her twice- thrice- how many times would this make? A large amount of times to see something strange in her life time, that is how many times.

These two… they weren't normal. In fact, one of them wasn't even human!

This new person who had stepped towards the girl… he was… He was a full grown, perhaps even slightly bigger than usual, white cat. Not the size of a snow leopard or anything, but not the size of a house cat either. Maybe right in the middle of the two? She couldn't tell from her.

He looked amazing though. Beautiful even, and Michelle knows she should be thinking the opposite because those teeth of his could rip her limb from limb but she couldn't help it.

They were mutants.

Two of them.

A giant cat and a girl with cat ears and a tail.

Oh gosh Michelle, what had you gotten yourself into?

"Thanks K.R., I'm starting to feel really confident in my ability to land." the girl said with a bright smile.

"You practice shows." the cat, who Michelle assumed to be K.R., nodded.

Feeling her fingers twitching against her camera, Michelle couldn't up but slowly lift it up to her face. Just like that night she had first seen Nicole with Picasso, Michelle was struggling to resist the urge to take a pictures of these two.

She wouldn't show anyone the pictures…. Except for Arinna and Nicole of course, but she had to get some sort of evidence.

Something to convince her brain that this was real and actually happening.

Perhaps she should reconsider though, just incase these two weren't friendly-

Clicking the button, Michelle flinched at the loud sound it made. Curse her twitchy happy go lucky fingers.

The two mutant, just as she thought they might, froze, the cat raising his head. His ears twitched and with a violent turn his eyes locked in on her hiding spot. She squeaked. She had been caught.

"YOU!' the cat roared. He was suddenly charging towards her, the girl at his heels.

Michelle leaps to her feet, bolting back the way she came.

Déjà vu feeling much?

Seriously, this exact same thing happened with Nicole. The only difference is, Michelle wasn't sure if these two would let her off the hook as easily as Nicole did. Or tackle her down a staircase, since no steps were present, thank goodness.

Not saying she really feared the cat too much, but the girl looked ready to pummel her, and Michelle would prefer to avoid that, thank you.

Scrambling down the alleyway, tripping and stumbling over boxes, she rolled back into the side road she was in before. The two cats weren't far behind now, and she could see the shine of the cat's eyes only a few feet away. She got to her feet, leaping forward, practically barrel rolling into the main road.

She had never been so happy to see New York Lunch rush!

"Hey, watch it!" an angry New Yorker pushed her back for bumping into her.

"Sorry. Sorry!" she stammered, ducking and weaving between citizens until she reached the other side of the massive side walk and behind a newspaper dispenser.

Whipping her head back around, she looked back into the alleyway. It was a little hard to tell, but she could definitely see both of the two crouched behind the dumpster glaring at her.

She had been caught.

She had to be the worst photographer ever. She really had to learn how to sneak around better.

Honestly, she was lucky she got away in time. And from the looks of it, those two weren't going to be coming after her in such a public place anytime soon. They wanted to stay hidden.

Perhaps that is why they chased her in the first place? That cat must have seen her camera and assumed the worse… just how Nicole had before.

Michelle has a real probably of taking pictures of people who do not wish for their picture to be taken off.

Taking one last quick look to the cat and cat girl, Michelle merged into the crowd.

Shuffling through the streets, still feeling her heart pumping like mad, Michelle reached towards her pocket. She froze.

Oh no.

Oh no no no. This couldn't be happening!

Her wallet was gone!

Either someone took it without her realizing it or she dropped it.

…She hadn't dropped it when she was being chased by those cats, right? Right?!

She didn't have time to think of that, she just wanted to get home.

* * *

**0000- Arinna-0000**

Arinna should have asked more questions when her boss texted her to stop by and grab some coffee on her way to work. She was just so startled that Max Winters' knew her number that she just fumbled a reply and headed off. But what kind of coffee did everyone like? No everyone likes coffee anyway, so she bought two smoothies just in case. Oh, but what if they didn't like coffee or smoothies?

Hitting herself she stumbled into the Winters' Cooperation.

"Excuse me. Pardon." she lifted her drinks above her head to avoid them bumping into the crowd of people shuffling within the front lobby. Using her chin, she held the drink with one arm, fumbling to grab her ID tag.

She had just managed to grasp it when her feet bumped into each other and she tripped. She caught herself using the side of the Security guard booth, but flinched when the drinks toppled.

"Whoa there!" two large hands shot downward, catching the drink carrier just in time, "Careful now."

Looking up, Arinna smiled to see the familiar Security guard she met on her first day, "Mr. Haru." she says.

"Oh, just Haru." he insists with a kind smile, helping her too her feet. He noticed her ID badge a second later, "Well I'll be, you got the job. Congratulations." he grinned, "Welcome to Winter Corp."

"Thank you. Thank you very much." Arinna chuckled. "Oh." she held out the second drink carrier, "Would you like one? I thought it might be nice to get my fellow workers drinks, so I bought a bunch." she says, "But don't take that one. That is for Mr. Winter."

Haru perks up a bit, scanning over the drinks, "That is very nice of you, Arinna." he takes a smoothies, "Not a huge fan of coffee."

Arinna mentally high fived herself for the correct choice in getting smoothies. "No problem." she handed him her ID badge.

"Arinna Kentin, wearer of gray plaid and rainbow clips." he notes, scanning the badge. "Got a middle name?"

"Ehhh." Arinna had never really liked her middle name, "Yeah, Revnec." her hand goes to her rainbow clip, smiling at it.

"Doesn't sound too bad." he notices her cringe.

"I suppose," her mother had given her that middle name, and not for the best reasons. Not that she would explain what it fully meant to a nice man like Haru.

"Arinna Revnec Kentin does not sound bad to me." Haru says.

"Do you have a middle name?" she inquires.

"My full name is Haruki Julio Zamorra Houhouji." he says.

Arinna almost sputters, "Jeez, that is a long name. Haruki Jul-eet Zama-blah Haho- I can't pronounce that."

"An A for effort." He laughs, "I've often been told my name is hard to pronounce. Most just call me Haru Zamorra now."

"Haru Zamorra."

"Need any help with those?" he asks, handing me the second drink container.

"I'm good, thanks." Arinna shuffles them around until she can get a good grip on them. She glances at the clock, "Ah! I'm going to be late. Thanks again, Haru!' She gives him a wave goodbye with her foot and rushes for the elevator. Stepping inside, she exits out onto her floor. Giving all the people she sees some coffee on the way to Winter's office, she take his drink out of the container.

Straightening herself a bit, Arinna knocks on his door and waits.

"Yes, come in." Max's voice calls from the other side. Creeping the door open, Arinna steps in, hoping the outfit she chose was work formal.

Max smiles when he sees her, motioning for his new assistant to come in, "Arinna." he greets, "And coffee, yes, thank you." he takes it, taking a big sip. "Perfection." he nods, placing it to the side, "Thank you." he turns to look at a few boxes he's got. "Nice rainbow pin." he motions to it.

Arinna brightened, "Thank you sir."

There was a sudden silence between them. Standing there, feeling awkward, Arinna clears her throat,

"Wha- what would you like me to do now?"

Max straightens and waves his hand, "Tell me, do you know the story of the Trojan War?"

Arinna's high school history classes came back to her a second later in fragments, "More or less." she tells him, "It is where Achaeans waged war against Troy. They built a big horse, the Trojan horse I think, to sneak their way into the city without Troy even realizing. I don't remember too much details on it."

"You have the basic premise." he chuckles, "Well done." he lifts a plat up with an ancient engraving of the Trojan horse etched into its surface, "Beautiful piece, no?" he hands it to her to examine.

Arinna's hands feel clammy as she runs her finger tips over the edges, afraid to grip too tightly in case the plate shattered, "Beautiful." she agrees, "But… Why are you showing this to me?"

There is a twinkle in his eye, "I'm a collector." he explains, "History, in ways, is everyone's past and culture- like collecting photos of your youth and placing them within a scrapbook. I do the same with great art found across the world."

"...Doesn't really answer my question."

"You seem like the kind of person to cherish the past- A very fine quality to have, even when the past can be quite painful at times. Yet, our journey to where we stand now is what has defined us. We either grew from our struggles or collapsed into something horrid. What would you say you have turned into Arinna?"  
"An assistant." she answers without hesitation, her face so serious.

Max didn't seem to expect that and snorts, "That- well yes, I suppose you are correct there." he says with a smile. "What I meant was; what kind of person do you think you are?"

"Oh…" she takes a few moments to ponder his question. "I'm not sure, Sir." she admits, "I hope a good one, but opinions are different to everyone."  
"True, true." he muses, "Or perhaps you've just never looked at yourself close enough. Here is an assignment for you Arinna as you work here. In your hours working for me, I would like for you to look at your life and those who are in it, and in a few weeks, tell me what kind of person you think you are."

Arinna was startled at the request, "W-What do you mean by that, Sir? As in- my personality or traits-"

"Are you brash? Kind? Bizarre-"  
"I'm often told I am bizarre." she speaks up.

"But do you feel bizarre? Would you call yourself bizarre? I don't much care for how others view you, I want to know how you view yourself."

She trails behind a bit, her expression falling, "I… I don't know how I view myself."  
"Then look for it. Takes these few weeks to figure it out." he turns to go back to his boxes, "For the meanwhile, go see Sydney back down the hall. She has some papers in need of copying." he waves her off.

Glancing back towards the door, Arinna scurries towards, pausing when Max calls out to her, "If you have the time as well, perhaps you could look at others too."

"Others?" her hand freezes at the door.

"Tell me who you think the people who work here are. Tell me what kind of person you think I am. Perhaps Sydney, your neighbor, an old friend from school, or even the guards from downstairs. Examine them Arinna, look at the quirk and habits, and tell me what exactly makes them tick and what they live for."

Feeling as if a very large request has just been placed on her shoulder, Arinna stiffly opened the door, feeling her legs shake a bit, "I'll… I'll try my best, Sir."

* * *

**-000Michelle000-**

She had sprinted home.

Well, not so much as sprinted, but perhaps a heavy jog? Either way she was breathless and stumbling through the front door to the lobby feeling like an overheated dog with its tongue out.

"Michelle?" Agatha gave her a wide look, "Everything alright?"

"Yes. Yes." she nodded, "Just… just thought I would run home and get my blood pumping. Be healthy..."

Agatha gave her a peculiar look, nodding slowly, "I see…" she glanced at the door, as if she expected something to come running in after Michelle. Seeing nothing she nodded again, "Well, glad to have you back. How was work?"  
"It went well." Michelle fumbled with her bag, hoping she hadn't dropped her keys as well. Happy to pull them out, she pressed the elevator button. "There was nothing too exciting that happened there. Have Nicole or Arinna left yet?"

"Just an hour ago. Nicole went to the Bakery with Elizabeth and Arinna ran off to her new job, saying something about needing to pick up some coffee."

Michelle clicked her teeth, "I see. Well thank you." stepping into the elevator she gave Agatha her best smile. She was positive by the look Agatha gave her that the older woman knew, but what could she know? There was no possible way for Agatha to know what Michelle had just witnessed, and even if Agatha knew something was up, she wouldn't guess it was mutants.

So with a quick wave before the elevator closed shut, Michelle leaned back against the wall and sighed.

Fumbling her fingers to her camera, she glanced at her knees, wincing at how scratched they were. Agatha must have noticed them too, but hadn't brought them up. It could easily be crossed off as tripping though, so perhaps that is why.

Stepping out of the elevator when she reached her floor she glanced at Jake's door. It was open and she could faintly hear the sound of a vacuum. He vacuumed everyday, the silly guy.

Perhaps she could go to him about this? She knew Leatherhead and Picasso would be in Nicole's apartment, and she could go to them, but what could she get out of an infant? Not saying Leather head wouldn't understand, but there wouldn't be much he could do given the fact he can't leave the apartment complex.

So her options were limited to wait for the others, or Jake.

"Jake?" she moved to the door, giving it a light knock, "Can I speak with you?"

The vacuum shut off and he peeked down the small hall at her. "Michelle." he greeted, stumbling over the cord. "Hi."

"Yes, hello." she took her camera off of her neck, "Do you have time to look at something?"

Jake perked up a bit, "Sure?"

"Okay. Okay, look at this." she showed him the photos she had taken. He stared at them curiously, eyes wide.

"Kitty cat." he smiled, "I like cats. They are fuzzy."

"Yes, that is not the point here. Look at the girl." she pointed.

Jake took a second look, "A cosplayer." he nodded.

"Cos-" Michelle hadn't even considered the possibility that the girl had just been wearing fake ears and a tail, "No." she shook her head, "When I was there, the cat spoke. He could talk." she insists. If they were just cosplayers surely they wouldn't have chased her.

...Or would they? What was the normal reaction to have when a stranger took a photo of you? Surely most wouldn't be comfortable with that. She often forgets that though since she is the one on the other side of the lens.

"Like a space cat?" Jake's eyes sparkle.

"...Space what?" Michelle inquires.

"You know, the space cats?" he started to sing a little tune from some strange song he heard as a child. "Ever heard of it?"

"No." she shakes her head, "Not at all. It definitely was not some space cat." Or was it?

Jake blinks innocently at her, shrugging.

She sighs, "Oh, never mind, Jake." she swats his face and he steps back. "Go back to your cleaning."

"Will do." he gives her a thumbs up, turning back on the vacuum, "But close the door on your way out, I don't want Revenbard getting in here." he looks a tad pale.  
"Reven-what?" she asks  
"Revenbard; the lady from the floor below. I don't want her getting in here and lunging at me. She does it after every meal."  
"Does she really?" Michelle is shocked to hear this, "Never heard of that." she peeks out into the hall, "After every meal?"  
"I was told after every meal, snack or other wise." he nods seriously.

"How peculiar. What time is it? Surely not near dinner time, yes?"

"I don't have dinner yet, but some might. When do old people usually have dinner?" he asks.

"I do not know." she inches into the hall, "Thank you for your time though, Jake. Have a nice evening."

"You too." he waves as she shuts the door.

Shaking her head a few times, Michelle pulled out her phone, dialing Nicole's cell. Sighing when it went to voicemail she left a message, "Yes, hello Nicole, it is Michelle. Please come see me when you get this message, it is important. I saw something very peculiar today and I am not quite sure what to do about. Considering that you seem to live in a world of peculiarities, I thought you could help. Or at least tell me I am not crazy. I believe I have encountered two strange mutants today. They are cats, mind you. Please, call me back soon. Oh- and by the way, were you aware of Revenbard below? Jake told me about it today, it is quite strange."

Leaving the message there, Michelle entered her room, opening her camera to remove the film. From there she entered her bathroom, which she had been using as a makeshift darkroom. Moving around, barely able to seewiththe dim red light, she got to work in printing the full picture of these mutant cats.

* * *

0000- **Nicole**-0000

"Spaghetti for dinner sounds nice." Elizabeth swings her arm out, grabbing Nicole's hand. The two swing their arms together as they stroll down the road.

"You ask for Spaghetti every night." Nicole snorts.

"It is my favorite." She nods sweetly. Then she pauses, "Oh, Michelle called you."

"Did she?"

Elizabeth gets to her tip-toes and reaches a hand into Nicole's bag, rummaging around until she pulled it out. "It buzzed a bit ago, but I didn't want to pick it up and then I forgot to tell you."

"Oh well, if it was important she would have called more than once." Nicole flips open her phone, noticing a voicemail. Pressing the phone to her ear she listened quietly.

"_Yes, hello Nicole, it is Michelle. Please come see me when you get this message, it is important. I saw something very peculiar today and I am not quite sure what to do about. Considering that you seem to live in a world of peculiarities, I thought you could help. Or at least tell me I am not crazy. I believe I have encountered two strange mutants today. They are cats, mind you. Please, call me back soon. Oh- and by the way, were you aware of Revenbard below? Jake told me about it today, it is quite strange._"

Nicole didn't know if she should groan in frustration of laugh at Michelle's last comment.

"What is it?" Elizabeth inquired.

"Oh, Michelle ran into something weird today." she sighed. So it wasn't just Arinna, all of them were just drawn to weird things. At least Michelle didn't bring them home with her.

...She didn't bring it home with her, right?

* * *

0000- **Michelle **-000

With time, the photos came out nicely.

Glad the picture was clear, she stuck it up on the clips to dry, watching as it came into focus, clearly showing off the cat and the girl-cat-person.

At a closer examination, she could not see anything attached to the ears that would make them fake. They looked at if they were sticking straight up from her skin, her hair neatly folded over it as hair would be over regular ears.

That was hardly anything to go by. She would need a second opinion, and one that wasn't Jake and his space cats. But what exactly would she do even if she learned they were truly mutants? Go out and look for them? Tell the press- no, that would draw attention to herself. And with only one picture she was positive most would think it was fake.

Sighing she pinched her nose and glanced at the clock. It was getting close to Nine already and the sun had went down. She had to be at work early the next day, so perhaps this could wait for later?

Making a weird noise she stepped out of the dark room and closed the door. Stomping over to her bed she plopped down onto it, too tired to change into her pajamas. Yawning, she rolled into her covers, snuggling up with them.

It felt like she had closed her eyes for only a few moments before she heard a creak on her floor. Peering out, she glanced up at her clock, seeing that two hours has passed.

Seconds sure did turn into hours fast when you sleep.

There was another creak. Feeling a dull panic rush through her, yet not fully knowing if that was just her dishwasher making noises or something else, she peeked up. She could see nothing at first within the darkness of her apartment, but then a shadow moved.

She froze, holding her breath and blinking rapidly to make sure it wasn't just her eyes playing tricks on her.

Scanning the room without moving to much, she faintly heard the sound of ruffling paper, then an angry huff. Sweet jam and honey, someone was in her apartment!

Was it Nicole? She had a key.

After this morning's conversation she would have no doubt that Nicole would attempt to take something of hers as compensation for the newspapers. Michelle had half a mind to speak up and say Nicole's name to call her out, but the form was smaller than Nicole.

Nicole often wore sunglasses or goggles on top of her head that were easily noticeable, shadow or not, but this form didn't have them. In fact, they had a very different form than sunglasses. The top of this person's head was almost pointy… like ears.

Like cat ears.

It was the girl from earlier, there was no doubt about it. How in the world did she get in here?

The open window to the side of the room was her answer.

Without making a noise, Michelle watched the girl cautiously, noticing that she was going wildly through her stuff. Was she… was she looking for the photo? That must have been it. She had to think of something. What could she do? She had no weapons near her to protect herself, and her cell phone was on her dinning table.

The girl moved to the other side of the room, perking up as if she had found something. Michelle was curiously, knowing the photos were no where near there and in fact in her bathroom, then froze.

The girl had pulled out her camera. She pulled at it, scanning wildly for the slot that held the memory card. Michelle panicked, an intense instinct pulling at her to get that girl as far away from her camera as possible.

Her father had given her that.

"Don't touch that!" she yelled.

The camera almost slipped from the girl's hand and she turned around. They two caught the other's gaze, frozen in a second of panic, neither knowing what to do. "P…Put that down!" Michelle ordered again.

The cat girl slowly did as told, placing the camera down, then dropping on all four.

…Uh oh.

She charged.

"AHHH!" Michelle screamed as the girl leapt towards her, cutting her scream off by clamping her hand around her mouth.

"Be quite human." She demanded harshly. "Or… or else."

"You better tell me where you put our picture or so help me I'll… I'll eat you."

Michelle started to scream even harder- SHE WAS A CANNIBAL!

"Tessa." A voice boomed, making both girls freeze. "We don't eat people. What even compelled you to say that?" the voice sighed. It was the cat from before. He had just leapt up to the table to let his presence be known.

The girl, who was apparently known as Tessa, blinked, "I-I dunno, I just said it. Just let me do this K.R." she told the cat.

"And I told you before, we are here to negotiate, not threaten her." The cat narrowed his eyes.

Tessa huffed, "I didn't threaten her."  
"Telling her you are going to _eat her_ is threatening." the cat replies smoothly.

"...Is it?" Tessa gives the cat a wide stare.

"Release her." The cat, who apparently also had a name; K.R, commanded.

"She'll run." Tessa frowned.

"At least remove your hand from her mouth."

Sighing, Tessa retracted her hand but kept the other firmly on her arm, a threatening look in her gaze. If Michelle made one wrong move… well, she could assume she would be sleeping with the fishes.

For now, she had to play her cards right. These two were scared and from what she could tell, just wanted to make sure their existence was kept a secret.

Taking a few seconds to collect herself, Michelle straightened, "I… Who are you?"

"You do not need to know who we are." Tessa told her.

"Tessa and K.R, that is what you said your names were." Michelle continued, startling the younger girl. She glanced at K.R frantically, who just cringed, nodding.  
"She knows our names!" Tessa yelled at him.

"We did repeatedly yell them." K.R reminds her.

"…." Tessa pursed her lips. "T-That doesn't matter. Just tell us where the photo is!"

"I-I will." She assures them, "I do not want any trouble, honest. Nor will I tell anyone about you." Michelle said softly.

"...Cheap talk." Tessa scowled

Michelle frowned, glancing at her bathroom door, "I am telling the truth. Please… I know this might sound hard to believe, but I have met others like you."

"Others?" the cat frowned, "How very odd for you to run into us today." He said suspiciously.

"Not really." Michelle shakes her head, "More of a hassle for my curiosity and health- not saying you two make me unhealthy, heavens no. I am sure you are both delightful people."

Tessa and K.R glance at each other.

"And I am sure you are just frightened and-" Michelle began to move, but Tessa stepped in front of her.

Michelle yelped when Tessa used her other hand to grab her wrist, holding it painfully tight. "You don't know anything about us!' she roared.

"Tessa.' K.R snapped. "Don't-"

"She took our picture!" Tessa argued, sounding as if she had been holding in this anger and fear for so long, she could barely contain it, "We can't let her show anyone else it. What if it gets out into the world? What if someone else sees it? What if _they _come looking for us?!"

Michelle wasn't sure who '_they' _were, but didn't like the sound of fear that etched this young girl's voice.

_Knock Knock._

The three froze when the there was a knock on the door. Lifting her head, Michelle gulped. It wasn't Agatha was it?

If so, then this could get ugly real fast. Not that Agatha would mean harm, but if she saw a giant cat girl within her apartment… well, yeah, who knows how that would turn out.

"Hey? Michelle?" It was Nicole, "What in the world are you doing in there? I keep hearing yelling? Everything alright?"

Seeing that Tessa was glaring at her, Michelle frowned. "…Y-Yeah." She called towards the door. "I am peachy. I left my TV on!"

"Oh… okay then?" Nicole sounded confused. "You sure?"

"Y-Yeah." This wasn't good, her voice was trembling. Come on Michelle, keep it together.

In some sense, she didn't want Nicole to know these two were here. If she suddenly came in, who knows what these two might do. From this grip on her wrist, she had no doubt Tessa could do some serious damage if she wanted to.

On the other hand, she really really wanted to be rescued from this situation.

However, there was K.R. He seemed like the voice of reason between the two, so maybe he could calm things down if Nicole did find her way in here?

"I didn't get your message till a bit ago. Just got home too. You wanna talk about what happened? You sounded worried on the phone," Nicole said through the door.

Tessa gave her a look that meant, "_Get ride of her."_

"I am uh… actually really tired today." Michelle said, hoping to sound casual. "I think it would be best to sleep on it."

"Yeah, probably the best. But hey, we can add this to the list of weird things we have seen. I'm just surprised you didn't bring those cat people with you." Nicole snickered. Michelle flinched at her word choice.

Looking frantically at Tessa, she could see the girl's eyes flare with shock and anger. Perhaps even fear at the mention of herself.

And then… pain? A hot burning pain that suddenly shot up her arm with no warning. It had Michelle staggering.

It had been Tessa's grip. As soon as Nicole had mentioned her, the young girl's hold on Michelle had subconsciously tightened, cracking the very bone of her wrist.

Michelle was screaming a second later, falling to her knees.

Tessa on the other hand jumped in surprise, releasing Michelle's wrist and stumbling back in shock. She hadn't meant- she never intended to fracture the bone.

The person had the door had startled her and she just tightened- not realizing how much strength she had put into it. She hadn't meant to-!

Not paying attention and too distracted by her thoughts, Tessa ran straight into Michelle's bookshelf, knocking the whole thing over with a large _BAAM!_

Tessa barely had time to move before it crushed her.

"Michelle?!" Nicole called frantically from the crashing sound. "What was that?!"

Michelle sobbed, falling to her knees, cradling her arm, the pain too excruciating to form a decent sentence.

"Michelle! Michelle answer me!" Nicole bang wildly on the door, "Oh that is it!" Nicole sounded panicked and pissed. "I'm coming in. Better back away from the door!"

"W-Wait Nicole-" Michelle was starting to regret giving Nicole and Arinna a key to her house.

Bursting into the apartment, Nicole kicked open the door, and slammed on the lights, scanning the area "What in the world-" her eyes doubled in size at the sight in front of her. Well… who wouldn't be confused at the sight of a cat and a girl with cat ears standing surrounded by a destroyed apartment and a injured photographer?

"N-Nicole." Michelle mumbled, feeling an unintentional tear slip down her face.

Nicole looked horrified, her usually calm features flashing into rage. "Who the hell are you two?!" she screamed at Tessa and K.R. "Breaking into my friends house and assaulting her?!"

"That's not- we never meant-" Tessa fumbled wildly, stepping back towards K.R.

Nicole slid to Michelle, her gaze set on the two strangers, "Hey? Hey Michelle-" her voice dropped to a worried whisper, "Speak to me, you okay? What did they do?" she took a good look at her arm. The fury returned a second later, "Why you no good piece of-" she leapt into action when Tessa attempted to make a break for the open window.

K.R has just scrambled through it, with Tessa right behind him, but she yelped when Nicole grabbed her ankle and tugged her back inside.

"Don't think you can just get away from this!" Nicole let out a scream as she tackled Tessa to the ground, "Dziwne rzeczy kota!" (Weird cat thing)

"Nicole!" Michelle called out.

"Tessa!" K.R leapt back inside the apartment to break up the fighting.

"Don't touch me!" Tessa rolled the two over, swiping wildly at Nicole's arms.

"Wysiąść mnie jesteś dziwny kot cosplayer! (Get off of me you cat cosplayer!)" Nicole screeched, hitting against the girl on top of her.

"What in the world are you even saying?!" Tessa demanded. She lifted up her fist to give Nicole a good punch across the face, but when she attempted to bring her fist down, she hit nothing but air.

Or was it- she had just been lifted into the air? Not expecting the large hand that wrapped around her hoodie, Tessa shrieked when something yanked her off of Nicole.

"Nicole!" Leatherhead suddenly appeared, pulling Tessa off with ease. He must have heard Nicole scream and came running.

"AHHH!" Tessa screamed at the sight of him.

"L-Leatherhead!" Nicole grinned as the he stepped back, tossing Tessa across the room and over the couch.

K.R was dumbfounded at the sight for a good couple of seconds before he scrambled over to his friend, "Tessa." He knelt next to her.

The next set of events was a collaboration of screaming, name calling, and overall confusion.

Elizabeth and Jake were running into the room- Jake armed with a broom and ready to smack anything insight.

"What's going on?!" he demanded while Elizabeth ran for Nicole, frantic to make sure she was alright.

"I'm fine! Don't let those two get away though!" She called to Leather head, who nodded and moved to block the windows while Jake and Nicole blocked the front door.

Frantically looking around, similar to a cornered animal, Tessa barred something along the lines of canines, "Don't mess with us…" she warned quietly.

"Well you should have thought of that before messing with our friend." Jake said with a sudden ferocity that it even startled Nicole.

"...What he said." Nicole agreed with a pump of her fist.

"Nicole!" Elizabeth called, "Watch out!" At her call, Nicole ducked to the right, shutting the front door/cutting off the exit, shut just as Tessa lunged for her. Flying over their heads, Tessa slammed into the wall, letting out a little groan.

"Tessa!" K.R mad a break for her, scrambling to a stop when Leather Head stepped in front of them. The two growl at each other.

"Elizabeth stay back!" Jake warned, grabbing the younger's hand and gently tugging her behind him. "It is dangerous."

"Oh no dude, Elizabeth could totally handle this." Nicole assured him with violent nods, "Just let her loose."

"Let me at them! No one messes with my friends!" Elizabeth was already bringing up her fists, waving them around wildly- though it only seemed really cute with how little her stature and palms were.

Rising to her feet, Tessa was ready to make another attempt to get out and reached for the front door. She had barely grasped the handle when it suddenly slammed open and swung into her face.

Nicole winced at the sight, surprised to see Arinna on the other side of the door, looking just as shocked.

"Oh gosh, did I just hit something-?" she peeked her head around the door, shrieking at the sight. "Who is that?" she was quick to scoot around Tessa and towards her friends, "Nicole! What is going on?!"

Tessa growled, flipping out of the door and into the hall.

"After her!" Nicole declared. The others were quick to follow, Elizabeth shooting in front of the others in a burst of speed, sliding right under Tessa's legs to stop her from getting to the elevator. Surprised at the younger girls quick agility, Tessa stumbled back.

"These cosplayer were attacking Michelle!" Nicole explained to Arinna.

"Cosplayer?!" Tessa roared. "I am no cosplayer!"

"Tessa! Stop this at once!" K.R ran out into the hall,

"HOLY COW!" Arinna screamed, pointing to K.R. "The Cosplayer has a talking cat!"

"That is what you decide to focus on in this situation?!" Nicole demanded.

"Don't yell at me!" Arinna screamed back.

"Guys… stop. They are mutants..." Michelle corrected through gritted teeth, inching her way into the hall with Leatherhead's help.

"A mutant and a cosplayer!" Nicole gasped.

"I told you I'm not a cosplayer!" Tessa charged.

Nicole whipped out two wrenches from her pocket, using them to swing at Tessa when she got close enough. With an odd strength, Tessa seemed to be able to block the first attack, knocking the wrench out of Nicole's hands and down the hall.

The other wrench however bumped into her head, and she tumbled backward.  
"Hah!" Nicole cackled.

"Guys… stop." Michelle pleaded. This was way too much attention. They were all going to get caught at this rate! And it wasn't helping that they were all screaming and stomping around!

Perhaps she should be a little grateful that no one else lived on this floor and Stockman doesn't move in for a couple more days. But she had no doubt everyone would be able to here them stomping around below and call Agatha about the noise.

….What if Agatha came up here? Then she would see everything!

"Everyone please!' she called desperately.

Taking another glance at the Elevator, Tessa frowned at Elizabeth. As if thinking she could easily leap over such a young child, Tessa made a go for it and charged for her.

Elizabeth didn't even flinch at the action, but shifted her weight. Almost as if she had predicted Tessa's movements, Elizabeth sidestepped to the left when she approached, kicking her leg into the back of the older woman's knees and making her fall flat on her face.

"Oh." Arinna covered her eyes.

"That's right! That's my girl!" Nicole pumped her fist.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, "Don't mess with my family!" she ordered to the mutant below her. Tessa was shocked, gawking at this child. If this was even a child!

Then it really started to get weird.

Something little had moved in front of Tessa's face.

"Bleh." lifting her head, Tessa's eyes double in size when a small… turtle infant (?!) appeared before her. His face held nothing but annoyance at her as he lifted his little palm and smacked it against her nose.

It didn't hurt, but he did confuse her.

"Ah! Picasso!' Elizabeth was quick to scoop him up and scramble away. "How did you get out here? Silly baby. Silly." she scolded him. He gave her a blank look.

"You left Picasso alone?!" Nicole demanded.

"No! I was letting him crawl down the hall behind me to Michelle's room and then this all happened!" Arinna yelled back at her. "Oh Picasso-" she took him from Elizabeth's arm and held him close.

"Well either way, let's finish this." Nicole twirled her wrench.

"Nicole." Arinna grabbed her arm, "We shouldn't fight-"

"Tell that to them." Nicole started to move forward. Leatherhead was moving with her.

After seeing their intent, Tessa stumbled to her feet, lifting her fists.

Before they could get to each other however, there was a shout.

"ENOUGH!" together, and in perfect unison, both Arinna and K.R stepped between the three, blocking their path to each other.

"Arinna!" Nicole and Leatherhead gasped.

"K.R!" Tessa gawked at him. "What are you doing?"

"This fight is over Tessa." K.R frowned at her. "We've done enough damage for one night."

"But…they-" Tessa opened her mouth to argue.

"Don't you see what is happening here, Tessa?" K.R. shook his head. "You are picking a fight with humans, a child, a _turtle_ and a _Giant Alligator_. Doesn't that sound strange?"

Tessa flinched, stepping back. She had been so absorbed in her fight, she hadn't even stopped to consider the fact that there was an Alligator mutant amongst them. Apparently he was friends with these humans. So did that mean…?

She looked to Michelle, recalling what she had said before. How she wouldn't tell anyone of them because she knew others in their exact situation.

…So she had been telling the truth.

Oh…

Oh whoops. This had to be Tessa's biggest "My Bad" moment ever.

"I…" Tessa covered her mouth, "I never meant to hurt anyone."

"I know." K.R's voice grew gentle, "I know. However, there is still damage to be seen. Perhaps we should make amends for what we have caused." he glanced over his shoulder. "We should start with an apology first."

Nicole grumbled, "Yeah you better apologize-"

"Nicole." Arinna narrowed her eyes. Nicole faltered for a moment, eyes shooting back from Arinna to Tessa.

"But-"

"Nicole." She said again, darker.

The other woman sighed, heavily, "Oh for crying out loud." She turned, collecting her wrench. "Fine Arinna. Fine." She moved to Michelle, gently helping her up. "But if they try anything, I'll skin them and hang the on my wall." She growled a warning, helping her friend move back into the apartment.

"Fair enough.' K.R agreed.

"Wha- not fair enough!" Tessa disagreed

"Tessa." K.R sighed. "Please. For me."

She faltered at his tone, lowering her gaze. "…Okay."

With that, they all went into Michelle's apartment for a lot of explaining. K.R was the first to speak, apologizing heavily to Michelle for the damage and injuries they had caused.

Michelle was not angry in the slightest, saying that she was also to blame for taking their picture.

As they spoke, Tessa had moved to put the bookshelf back in place, returning all the books back to their original spot.

"Would you two like something to drink?" Arinna inquired. "Maybe some water?"

"Water would be nice." K.R nodded. "Thank you."

Arinna smiled a bit at him, and moved to the kitchen. She passed by Michelle and Nicole as she went, glancing at the process of Nicole pressing an ice pack to the injury.

"Will she be alright?" Leather head asked, peeking over Nicole's shoulder with Elizabeth and Jake.

"Yeah." Nicole nodded, "With some rest it'll heal fine. Thanks for the back up there." She smirked at him, holding her fist up. Leather Head smiled bashfully, giving her a fist bump.

Going back to Michelle, Nicole glanced at Tessa and K.R, who were nervously sitting across the couch. "Do they really need to be here though?" she scowled.

"I'm fine Nicole." Michelle smiled at her.

"You are not." Nicole disagreed. "You have a fractured wrist, Michelle." She sent a dirty look towards Tessa, who looked away.

"She didn't mean to." Michelle insisted.

"I'm sure she didn't mean to sneak into your house then either?"

"Well…" Michelle trailed off. "They had a good reason to. They were just scared…" Michelle smirked a bit. "Just like how you were when you tackled me down the stairs."

Nicole flinched. "Seriously? Even now you bring that up? Really?"

Michelle chuckled, "I apologize, I could not help it."

Rolling her eyes, Nicole finished her work. "There, but I want you to keep it as elevated as possible." She told her.

"Will do."

"How-" they turned when Tessa spoke up, "You just- you all seem rather calm about this." She was tapping her foot anxiously, looking uncomfortable to even be there still.

"Well obviously." Nicole snorted heatedly. "We live with a giant Alligator for pete's sake." She pointed to Leatherhead.

"Not to mention a turtle." Arinna lifted Picasso up. Picasso gave Tessa another unamused look. It seems to be his new favorite look. "Oh, his name is Picasso by the way."  
"…Hi?" Tessa says, confused. She jumped when there was yet another knock on the door. This one was heavy, with no indication to who it was, but Nicole knew instantly.

"Uh oh." She jumped to her feet, "It's Agatha."

Arinna gasped, "W-What do we do? Everyone is in here."

Tessa and K.R were slowly getting to their feet, eyes wide and frantic, wondering if they should run. Nicole grit her teeth, "You two-" she pointed to K.R and Tessa, who straightened, "Come here." She opened the door to Michelle's Dark room, "Get in here."

"Wha- no way." They argued. Not sure what this large dark room was.

"Do you want to get caught, because I assure you, if you thought we were bad and tough to fight, that woman is ten times worse." Nicole growled, "So get in. Hurry. We don't have much time."

Glancing at each other, the two reluctantly shuffled into the room. "LeatherHead-" Nicole handed him Picasso, "Go into the dark room too, but be quiet."

"Wha- why in there?" Michelle frowned

"Agatha knows you don't like too many people in there. So she wouldn't check." Nicole explained.

"I- Oh. Oh of course!" she cut herself off, not wanting to be too loud. There was another knock at the door. This one seemed less patient.

Stepping inside, Leatherhead closed the door.

"Now what?" Jake whispered frantically, "She is going to come in here. What are we going to tell her?"

"I had a nightmare?" Elizabeth suggested.

"I don't think that would work honey." Arinna patted her head.

Looking solemn, Nicole handed Jake her wrench, "Jake." She told him, "I need you to hit me."

He went pale, almost dropping the wrench, "What? Why? Why would you ask me to do that?"

"We need to tell Agatha something and it isn't that uncommon for Michelle and me to get into fights and beat each other up." Nicole tells him.

"We do seem to have a history of doing that." Michelle mumbled,

"Yes, so hit me. We'll put the blame on us for now." Nicole motioned to the wrench, "I need to look a little bruised though, so come on."  
'You look bruised enough though." Jake glanced up and down her stature, noticing the large bruises and scratch marks from Tessa.

"Not enough. Michelle has a fractured wrist, I need something just as bad. Come on."

"…I don't like this." Arinna covered her eyes. Elizabeth copied the motion with a little whimper.

Jake lifted his arm, his hand shaky, "W-Where do you want me to hit?"

"Anywhere." Nicole braced herself, "Just make it snappy. And don't hold back."

Gritting his teeth, wondering how he possible found himself in a situation like this, Jake brought his hand down hard, the Wrench slamming right into Nicole's shoulder.

"Ooh." Michelle turned her head, unable to look.

Nicole on the other hand covered her mouth and screamed, stomping her feet and moving in a little circle, biting down on her skin. Jake dropped the wrench, stepping back.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He said frantically. Nicole waved him off, motioning for him to get the door.

Looking like a kid thrown under the bus, the stumbled for it, grabbing the handle. He looked back at the others for reassurance.

Nicole straightened, giving the poorest attempt at a smile through her pain. "Do it man."

He nodded, and opened the door.

Agatha barged in a second later, eyes narrowed dangerously, "Mind telling me what exactly you all were doing up here? Or how late it is? It is midnight!" she says darkly, "I have half a mind to kick you all out this second! What were you all possibly doing?!"

Jake sniffed, "… Bonding?" he said in a squeaky voice.

Agatha had never looked more annoyed. "Explain everything_, now."_

* * *

**_And here we are, we are done. Thank goodness. _**

**_TESSA AND K.R belong to Cryshardy_**

**_Haru belongs to 16_**

**_Jake belongs to Jack Russel_**

**_Elizabeth to Koraru Kinomoto_**

**_Michele belongs to Dark Nightwatcher_**

**_Agatha belongs to _****Aerissee. Hasste**

**_Picasso to Blackhooded001_**

**_Leatherhead and Max winters to the creators of TMNT_**

**_Nicole and Arinna to me :D_**

Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter :D I had a lot of fun writing it, and man, writing fight scenes are hard, but hopefully you all could follow along and enjoy the ride :D


	13. Unfamiliar Kindness

**I'm on a role with chapters, jeez 0.0 Hopefully I can keep this up. ...Hopefully. Did I just jinx myself? I hope not. **

**Anyway! CHAPTER TIME!**

* * *

"So, what you are trying to say is that you snuck into Michelle's room in the middle of the night to steal her Camera as payback for her stealing your newspapers. She awoke however and panicked, fighting you off before you could explain and you both ran into the bookshelf. This caused Michelle to receive a fractured wrist, in which Jake and Arinna ran in to figure out what was happening." Agatha concludes

"Yes." the accused souls of the 4th flour nod.

Agatha pinched the bridge of her nose, "And you brought a broom?" she pointed to Jake.

"To hit a burglar if there was one." he explains quietly.

Agatha sighs, her eyes narrowing in on Nicole's shoulder. She motioned to the bruising and almost dislocated looking injury. "And what of this?" she demanded, stepping forward to examine her.

"…Friendly…. Reimbursement for Michelle's broken wrist?" Nicole said, her voice high-pitched, struggling to hold a smile through the pain.

"You must be joking." Agatha looks as though she couldn't believe her own ears.

"…She tried to steal my paper." Nicole said slowly, "I had to put an end to it."

"She leaped into the air as if she were a wild banshee, I swear." Michelle pointed to Nicole. "I never saw it coming."

"She was a traitor and a scoundrel, I had to take immediate action." Nicole pointed back at Michelle.

"…" Agatha was quiet, her glare moving across the room to Arinna and Jake. "And you two?"

"I tried to stop the fighting." Arinna says honestly, which she totally did.

"As I said before, I heard the noise and came over to see what was happening. It was wild." Jake says stiffly, hands still shaking.

"… I had a nightmare!" Elizabeth lifted her hand. Nicole patted her head.

"How did you injure Nicole in this, as you say, _friendly reimbursement?" _Agatha asks Michelle.

"Hit her with her own wrench." she points to where it laid on the floor. Its work had been done.

"I felt bad for breaking her wrist, so I let her get in a hit." Nicole offers softly. She couldn't help but think back to when she was a child and would hit her brother. When he started to cry and threaten to tell Mom, she was quick to tell him that he could hit her back for it to be fair, and hopefully stop him from telling their parents.

Lifting a hand to rub them over her eyes, Agatha stepped back, "This is the 3rd disturbance this month, ladies. Jake, I count this as your first since you just got here." she tells them. Michelle and Nicole lower their heads, nodding. "If living on the same floor is such a hassle, I would be happy to move you both to different floors. Or even just one of you."

"No!" they both scream, but cut themselves off and glance at each other. "We mean-"  
"I- we know we have been causing trouble Agatha." Nicole says honestly, "We don't mean to. Trust me, if I could avoid this, I would in a heart beat. I just get carried away. Michelle is awesome. A real bud. I love the girl."

"The same is for me." Michelle insists, "Nicole and Arinna have both been lovely, and have really made me feel at home. Nicole is like a sister to me, and sometimes I find myself fighting with her like she really was and I am back in my childhood." The two are nodding rapidly to each other and then to Agatha.

The older woman glances back and forth between the two, slowly folding her arms. With a sigh, she turns her head, "I understand that, but you are not the only ones who live in this building. You are disturbing the others."

"We'll change." Nicole promises. "I promise." she holds up her hand in a scout's honor. Arinna snorts because she knows very well that Nicole was never in girl scouts.

Raising an eyebrow, Agatha glanced at Michelle when she did the same motion, "You promise?" she asks.

"Yes." they nod, "Or.. we will try our very best."

Agatha's gaze softens, "Honestly you two." she grumbles, "Very well, I will let it go this one time. I am expecting you to make a full apology to the residents below. As well as some chores for me since I had to come all the way up here."

"Of course. Of course!" they grin, "We'll do it first thing tomorrow morning."  
"Good." Agatha moves towards the door, giving the room one last look over, "Now you all better head to bed, it is late."

"Good night, Agatha." they wave to her. Watching her close the door, Michelle waited a few seconds before approaching it and locking it. "Okay." she lets out a sigh, "We are clear."

"Jeez." Nicole falls to her knees, "I thought my heart was going to burst."

"I was sure she was on to us." Michelle laughed nervously, "It is hard to believe we managed to pull that off."

"I know!" Nicole cackled. Stumbling to her feet she slides to the dark room and throws it open, Michelle whining at the sight, not wanting her pictures to be ruined.

"Come on out." Nicole says, and the mutant guests step out.

"Is she gone?" Tessa scanned the room wearily.

"For now." Arinna takes Picasso into her arms. The poor guy is already passed out, exhausted from the days events and way past his bedtime. "We shouldn't make any more noise though, unless we want her to kick down the door."

"She would not be against that." Nicole agreed.

"Then perhaps we should take our leave." K.R said, glancing at Tessa.

"Whoa whoa-" Nicole held her hand up, "You two aren't going anywhere until we get some answers."

The two suddenly look on edge, "What exactly do you want to know?" they question.

Nicole folded her arms, "For starters, I'd like to know how did you figure out where Michelle lived?"

Tessa blinked once, reaching a hand into her pocket to rummage around. Pulling out a leather bound wallet, she held it out to Michelle, "You dropped this. We just followed the address written on it."

"My wallet." Michelle snatches it up, and examining the insides, "I knew I dropped you."

"And we can assume you came in through the window." Jake glanced at the only open window in the apartment. "I guess you… climbed up here?"  
"I am a very good climber." Tessa nods, down casting her eyes. "We just-" she licked her lips, "We just wanted the picture. We never meant to hurt anyone." tears look as though they are pricking her eyes, "I never meant to fracture your wrist either. Or put any of you through this. I am sorry I hurt you." Tessa sniffed. "I never meant to-"

"I know." Michelle cut her off, startling the younger girl, "I saw it in your eyes, and it is not that bad. Just a few bruises is all."

"Fractured wrist means fractured wrist, Michelle." Nicole tells her.

"All water under the bridge at this point." she insists, "Now, how about we make our peace and have some tea?"

Nicole scowled at her, "You mean… you want us to apologize? To them? They started this!"

"Nicole." Arinna steps in, "Michelle has the right idea. We all did our own sense of damage tonight, so we should let bygones be bygones and start over."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"I shall start." Leatherhead holds up his hands, which caused Nicole to gawk at him in disbelief.

"I apologize for tossing you around." he says to Tessa.

"I am sorry for taking your picture. It started this whole mess and I should have never done it." Michelle bows her head.

"I'm sorry I kicked you!" Elizabeth held up her hand, waving it frantically.

Nicole was struggling to watch this, almost slapping her forehead when Jake spoke up next, "Sorry I threatened you with a broom. Though in retrospect it probably would have done… nothing."

"It might have hurt." Elizabeth tells him.

"Would it? I've never gotten hit with a broom, so I don't know." he looks tempted to try it and see, but Arinna takes it away from him before he can.

"Back to the point, we are all terribly sorry for this evening." Arinna says. She glances at Nicole and nudges her.

Looking very unhappy with this, she glanced at the room of awaiting ears, "Oh for crying out loud, fine!" she throws her hands up. "I'm sorry, okay? Sorry I threw wrenches at you, and smacked you with them, tackled you, kicked you, and cursed at you in Polish."

"Is that what that was?" K.R inquires.

'Yes."

The two mutants glance at each other, and then lower their head. "Then, since we were the ones to break into your home, we apologize as well." K.R says.

"Yeah." Tessa nods vigorously.

At some point, the conversation moved to the couch, everyone too exhausted to stay on their feet anymore. Leatherhead had found himself on the floor at Nicole's feet, his chin resting on her foot, his eyes closed. Nicole reached down to pet the top of his skull.

Arinna found the sight astonishing considering the fact that 4 months ago, Nicole wouldn't have been able to stand looking at Leather head, let alone touching him.

"Okay cosplayer and cat." Nicole folds her arms, "I have some questions."

"How about for starters, you don't refer to us like that. I don't even know what a _cosplayer _is, but I'm definitely not that." Tessa grumbles, "I have a name. It is Tessa." she pauses, "Who are you people anyway?"

* * *

**00000000-K.R's POV-0000000**

"I have a name. It is Tessa." she pauses, "Who are you people anyway?"

It was a question that had been on my mind since the moment the alligator had rampaged into the room. Only ever recalling seeing an alligator when I was young, I definitely recall them not being able to speak or walk on their back legs.

Though, given my current situation and form, I have no room to question how nature works.

"My name's Nicole." the red head said with an icy tone, very unlike the others. Freckles dotted her face, and her blue eyes were as dark as the sky. She wore an off gray jumpsuit, almost as if she worked in a garage of some sort, with heavy goggles resting on top of her head. Her hair was horrendously long, reaching down past her waist and pulled back in a messy ponytail.

She seemed to be the most rational, if not the most violent one of this strange group. Unlike the others, her guard hadn't been lowered for a second, which felt almost relaxing to myself, if that made sense.

The others seemed so calm and accepting of this, and that didn't sit well with me knowing nothing about them. So having one being suspicious and confused made me feel happy to know that I wasn't the only one still unsure about all of this.

"She is my neighbor." Michelle adds in. "Oh, I'm Michelle- but you probably already knew that since you are here."

We did actually. Michelle Lily Woodhard, a 20-year-old photographer with ocean blue eyes and shoulder length black hair. She was still wearing the same clothes we first saw her in, not that I expected her to have made this full transformation in our next encounter. And her voice, it was thick with a British accent, which I hadn't noticed the first time. A very melodious sound to it, if you asked me.

"Elizabeth! I'm Elizabeth Cater!" the youngest, and honestly the most terrifying of them all, spoke up. She was no more than five years old, with bright hazel eyes and light brown hair that barely curled past her ears. Wearing a frilly dress and bright smile, I still couldn't believe my eyes to know that she had completely taken out Tessa on an hour before. I could sense Tessa was a little on edge at the sight of her, feeling the same as myself.

"Whoa whoa- wait a minute." Nicole held up a hand, "Elizabeth what?"

"Cater." the child grinned from ear to ear.

The others seemed to find the interaction adorable, but I couldn't tell why until Nicole said, "Since when did you have my last name?" So Nicole was Nicole Cater.

Elizabeth twiddled her thumbs, "Well, I live with you, and you get me clothes and tuck me when I go to bed, and you tell everyone I'm your little brother's daughter and that I'm your niece so that I can stay here so shouldn't I have your last name?" she asks with pleading eyes.

Nicole opened and closed her mouth, smacking at the other girls when they start to giggle and coo. "I mean- yeah but-" she snorts, "You know what, sure kiddo." she pats Elizabeth's head. "You can use that last name if you want."

"YAY!" Elizabeth cheers, but is quick to cut herself off, remembering that they had to be quiet.

("_These people are… strange.") _A voice speaks into my head, and I glance at Tessa, recognizing it as hers. We've always been able to telepathically connect our minds like this, ever since we were younger. I can't explain how we do it, but we can.

("_They are indeed.")_ I find myself agreeing.

The third woman of the party giggles, "Well, I am Arinna, it is nice to meet you both." her smile is kind, almost infectious. Her eyes were a soft green, matching well with the wavy curl of her hair. I had noticed within the last five minutes, she had to keep moving her bangs out of her face with how long they were. I always noticed little things like that. She was dressed in her pajamas and must have been asleep before we arrived. On her lap, the infant turtle from before was fast asleep, curled into her stomach and gripping the bottom of her shirt tightly.

Noticing my gaze, Arinna says, "This is Picasso." She glanced at the only human male in the room, motioning for him to speak. Being 26, this guy looked to be only a bit younger, and was nervous to speak up.

"I-I'm Jake." he waves to us. His hair was a shaggy brown, barely reaching to his ears yet completely wild in the front, almost covering his eyes. His eyes…. They were a striking red. Not sure if it was just the lighting or not, I was startled nonetheless.

Giving me a struggling smile, he returns to the zipper he was messing with before, his hands often moving and messing with the objects surrounding him. At one point he even reached over to Arinna, spreading his hands out around her head to pull her hair back.

She doesn't even blink when he starts to braid her hair, as if she is used to the behavior at this point.

"This is Leatherhead." Nicole moves her foot a bit, lifting and lowering the sleeping Alligator's head. "I realize the name isn't too original."

"It's fine." Tessa glances at me, "This is my brother, K.R."

"Greetings to you all." I say. Nicole is raising an eyebrow at me, and I know what she is going to say before she asks, "Adopted siblings. We are not blood related."

"Ah." she nods.

"So then, how did you both end up in New York?" Arinna asks them, "Were you born here? Or did you come from somewhere else."  
Tessa looked uncomfortable being asked questions and sunk into her seat. I don't really even know how to reply and just sit there in silence. Arinna blinks at us, lowering her hand and glancing away.

"Um… I-I was born here." she starts to say, "I've lived in New York all my life. I've never even left the city for vacation or anything. I lived with my parents until I was 13, and then some crazy stuff happened and I ended up under the custody of my older brother."

I was puzzled to why she was telling us this, but listened quietly.

"He was great." she smiles, "Best guy around. But uh-" she pauses looking a little pained, "More things happened and he isn't around anymore. So I lived on my own on the streets for a while until I moved in with Nicole. We were neighbors since I was 3. I met Michelle once I moved in with Nicole and I found Jake collapsed on the ground when he ate a bad egg and got food poisoning." Jake flattens a bit at that, shrugging a nod. "And then I found Leatherhead behind a dumpster, and Picasso was in a box, and Nicole found Elizabeth. She was being chased by pajama men named footsies or something." I blinked at her story, dumbstruck by how blatant she was.

"The Foot." Elizabeth correct quietly.

"The Foot." Arinna nods, "Now I work at Winter's Corp as a secretary for Max Winters. He is weird, and there is this security guard that this is nice, but he has one crazy name that I can't pronounce so I just call him Haru."

"That is the worst biography I've ever heard." Nicole says. Arinna looks insulted, hitting Nicole on the arm, which only caused her to flinch and clutch her shoulder.

Arinna shrieked, "Oh gosh I am so sorry! I forgot!" she wailed. In rebuttal, Nicole hit Arinna back with a bit more force. Michelle chuckled at the sight.

It is only then, as I watch Arinna and Nicole pathetically slap each other, that I realized what Arinna was trying to do. She was talking about herself in an attempt to perhaps gain a bit of trust and understanding, so that we didn't feel nervous about talking to them. It was a touching sentiment, and I'm not sure if it worked, but it was oddly nice to see someone put an effort in for us. "And then-" Arinna yawned, half way making it a miserable groan, "I am so tired."

Nicole yawned after her, "You are making me yawn, stop it."  
"I can't help it. The adrenaline is fading and now I'm tired."

"I believe we all are." Michelle nodded. "Perhaps, we should get some rest and continue where we left off tomorrow."

"Yeah, good idea." Nicole nudges Leatherhead awake with her foot, and Arinna starts to lead him out the door.

I'm surprised when all of them just agree to this and stand up, leaving and going to their own apartments. "W-Wait, what?" Tessa stammered, scrambling to her feet. "That is it? No other questions? Interrogations to figure out who were are?" she trails off, "Nothing?"

Nicole gives her a dull look, "Girl, your brother is talking cat, and you look like a cosplayer from Tokyo Mew Mew. I've got all the information I need for one day." she opens the door, lifting Elizabeth into her arms. The younger girl snuggles into her instantly, closing her eyes a second later. "And seriously- I need some sleep. But uh- mess with Michelle any more tonight and I get out my shot gun." she gave us an odd thumbs up and stumbled into the hall. "Night Michelle~"

"Good night." she waves, handing Jake his jacket and patting his shoulder. "Sleep well."

"You too." he waves groggily. It was if exhaustion hit them all in one large heap, and none of them could focus enough anymore to really care about us or where we came from.

It was… odd.

"Uh you-" I stammered to Michelle, "Are you retiring too?" I ask her.

She nods, but snaps her fingers, "But first-" Michelle was messing with her couch, yanking off the cushions to reveal a fold out bed. "Here." she tells us, pulling it out. "You two can sleep here tonight."

"Here?" Tessa's eyes are wide.

"It is late." Michelle nods, as she grabs a few spare blankets and pillows from the closet. She chucks them onto the bad, dusting off her fingers, "There we go. All ready to go."

"We couldn't possibly-" I start to say, but she cuts me off.  
"I insist. You may not trust us, but we've gone 5 months without anyone knowing about Leatherhead, Picasso, or Elizabeth. And Leatherhead is twice your size." she motions to Tessa. "You two are safe here."

The words are foreign and feel as though they should mean a lie, but I could sense no dishonestly in Michelle's tone. Even her eyes rang with a truthful assurance.

She yawned suddenly, stretching her arms back over her head, "Well I am beat. Good night." she waves.

"You're just trusting us." Tessa stepped forward to stop her, "Just like that?"

Michelle glanced to the door, "Well- yes." she nods, "I suppose I am."

"Why?" Tessa demanded, confused and unable to figure out why this was happening- why Michelle suddenly trusted us.

The older woman shrugged, "Just a feeling." she admits, "I have encountered a lot of new people in the last few months. When we first met there was a misunderstanding between us, but that is over now. If you still wanted to hurt me-" she smiles, "I am positive you would have already done so." she gives Tessa a water bottle, "Good night." she repeats, trudging over to her room and stepping in, giving us on last wave before she went to bed.

We stood there in a shocked silence for a long time. At one point, Tessa turned to the bed, eyeing is cautiously. Giving me a look I couldn't describe, she tiptoed around the edge the mattress, poking at the material questionably.

Then she slowly inched her way onto the bed, laying down inch by inch, as if she expected it to suddenly spring into some kind of trap. When it didn't, she turned to her side. I was adjusting myself, sprawling out next to her.

"Who are these people…?" she mumbles softly. "They are so-" she couldn't bring herself to describe it, or maybe she didn't know how.

"Different?" I ask

"Yeah." she nods. "I thought they would be different than this."

Perhaps this was still all some kind of trick though. Let us fall asleep and then they spring into action. I could hear Michelle's breathing from here. She was sleep already.

Looking at each other, we made a silent agreement to stay for now, but leave an hour before sunrise. We couldn't afford to be caught again. Not again.

Exhaustion was winning over my senses, and I yawned. Tessa reached up a hand to pat my head and snuggled closer to me, lifting the blanket over us. When was the last time we had slept in a bed like this? I couldn't remember.

It was nice.

**0000- Sunrise-0000**

"That is racist. That is cat racists." I woke to the sound of something whispering. Squinting open my eyes, I stretch out my paws, going still when I heard another voice.

"No it isn't. Cats like fish, so I am adding Tuna."

"You don't know if he likes fish. That is totally considered cat racism for just assuming you know what he likes cause he is a cat."

Two people are talking behind us, within the kitchen. Tensing, a feel the rising sun on my fur, I freeze. We slept in.

We were so tired I hadn't even realized.

"Then what do you want to add, huh? Eggs? We don't know if he likes eggs either. Is that racism too?" Was that… Nicole? I peek over my shoulder as slowly as possible to see Michelle, Arinna and Nicole in the kitchen.

Nicole is standing over the stove, making omelets from what I can tell, with Arinna hovering over her shoulder, trying to tell her what to add into the egg. Michelle is making toast on the other side of the counter, rubbing the sand out of her eyes.

"Does it really matter what we add into it?" she asks them.

"Yes." Arinna insists. "If you make someone breakfast you have to make sure they like the breakfast."

"He will probably like it either way." Nicole rolls her eyes.

"You don't know that." Arinna points to her. "And what is this? Why are you adding anchovies to Tessa's?" she demands.

"Cat girl. Cat's like fish. So I added anchovies." Nicole says simple.

"There. There! You did it again! What if Tessa doesn't like anchovies?"

"Maybe she does!" Nicole argues

"Anchovies are gross." I didn't even notice Jake setting the table.

"Jake understands." Arinna motions to him.

"No, Jake just doesn't like anchovies. You don't know if Tessa and K.R don't." Nicole corrects her.

"And you don't know either." Arinna tries to take away the pan, but Nicole refuses, waving it around. She almost hits Michelle, but the older woman ducks just in time.

"Watch it." she huffs, putting some toast on the table.

"At least add something normal. Like cheese, bacon, spinach even." Arinna sighs.

"I'm not giving them my good bacon. I'm saving that for my omelets." Nicole snorts. "They can have spinach though." she sprinkles a bit on, folding it over.

Slowly sitting up, watching the four carefully, I nudge Tessa with my foot, ("_Tessa.") _I say to her mentally, ("_Wake up.")_

She stirs, squinting at me, "Wha-" I slap my paw over her mouth before she can speak. She makes a face at the fur grazing her tongue, spitting a bit. ("_That was gross.") _She said mentally.

I flick my tail at her, than at the others. She follows my gaze, freezing. Realizing the same thing I did earlier about over sleeping, she flinches. ("_What are they doing?")_

_("I believe they are making us breakfast.") _I explain. She looks confused, and is startled when Jake turns towards us, our gazes catching the others.

"Oh." he perks up. "Morning!"

The rest of the room turns to look at us. Arinna smiles and waves, while Nicole just sniffs and goes back to cooking.

"Did we wake you?" Michelle inquires, "We just thought you might like some breakfast."

I scanned the room wildly, "Where are the others?" I couldn't see the Alligator anyway, and that concerned me.

"My place." Nicole answers, "We don't want them walking around too much out of the apartments in case they are spotted." she pauses, "Plus, Elizabeth sleeps in really late. You probably won't see her for another hour or two."

"We made you omelets." Arinna adds in, "Nicole added some weird things though, so I _really _hope you like them. If you don't, that is okay. I won't judge."

"Get them while they're hot." Nicole tosses the plates on the table, going back to finish her own before joining everyone at the table. Glancing at each other, unsure of what to do, Tessa frown at me.

("_S-Should we run?") _

I wasn't sure. They're intentions felt pure, but I had only know them for a few hours, I couldn't be certain. They hadn't done anything to us yet though, and we were still asleep when they came in so maybe- our stomachs growled in unison.

Tessa reached her hands up to grasp her belly, blushing faintly in embarrassment. "Um…" she glanced at the food.

Years of fear felt imbedded into our systems. Every fiber of me was screaming to get out of there and never return. But..

There it was, there was a but to my logic. Something was keeping me here.

I don't know if it was the fact that Michelle forgave us for breaking into her home, that Arinna shared a chunk of her past with us, or if is was because they had mutant companions who trusted and adored them, but something convinced me to get off the bed and join these strange people at the table.

Tessa sat at the end of the table, and I jumped up to join her, staring curiously at my plate. Jake had drawn a smiley face on the omelets with ketchup. I hesitantly reached down and took my first bite. Tuna and egg. Nothing else.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

But it tasted extraordinary. When was the last time I had a meal like this? Years, I think.

Tessa, despite pausing at the strange taste of anchovies, was scarfing down the omelets so fast that I'm not sure if she fully tasted everything she was consuming.

Arinna looked relieved that we enjoyed it.

Nicole had just sat down with her own and blinked at us, watching in almost awe as we reached wildly for the roast, waffles and other things on the table.

"Jeez." she muttered, "Getting enough food there?" she said sarcastically.

She got up to go back to the oven, surprising me by returning with 4 more omelets. "Bottomless pits." she comments dryly. Arinna hits her playfully on the shoulder.

"So-" Michelle drawls out, "Do you two like New York?" she attempts to start small talk.

"It's fine." Tessa says quickly.

There is an odd silence, only filled in by the sound of our eating… and Nicole's. Unlike the others, she doesn't seem overly interested in our back-story and is content with just sitting there in silence. Or at least, she is cautious about it like the others.

So I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when she blatantly asks, "So is this a birth defect thing or did something happen to make you two like this?" she doesn't even look at us.

"Nicole." Arinna scolds at her bluntness.

"Arinna." she copies her tone, "We got two cat things at our table. Might as well just get the obvious question out there. Which is; are you two mutants and changed to look like this, or were you born like this?"

The others look ready to yell at her, but cut themselves off, knowing she was correct. They all wanted to know the same thing. Was there really harm in telling them? We planned on leaving soon anyway…

And even if they were the people who did this to us, what would it matter if we told them something they already knew?

I glanced at Tessa, who was staring at her plate. She quietly reached up to touch her ears, causing them to flatten down on her head. "I wasn't born with these." I couldn't believe my ears when she spoke.

"Mutant." Nicole snaps her fingers, "Gotcha."

After a long mental debate, I add, "We weren't always a mutants."

"Eh?" Michelle titled her head. "How is that possible? What happened to you two?"

Tessa straightens, "I use to be human." she says, "K.R was just a regular person too, but that all changed when…" she shivers.

"When what?" Michelle asked. I feel as though she regretted asking her question when I frowned and looked towards the ground. "I'm sorry." She said quickly. "You do not have to answer that. I was just curious-"

"It is alright." I insisted, feeling strange having to talk about this. I never had to since Tessa already knew everything, "I would be curious too if I were you."

"We were changed to look like this." Tessa says coldly, "Then we got out and have been on the run."

"Cool." Nicole takes a sip of her throat. Tessa gives her a wild look.

"Cool?" she demands. "What is _cool _about it?"

"You got away." Nicole shrugs, "Good job- Jake don't eat all the waffles." She slaps his hand away.

He makes a noise, his mouth too stuffed to fully understand what he is saying. He makes wild motions.

"Than go make your own.' Nicole snatches away the last waffle. "These don't grow on trees, you know." They both pause, sharing a smile, nodding at how cool it would be if they did grow on trees.

"Would it be scientifically possible though to make a Waffle tree?" Jake asks.

"We could look into it." Nicole offers. They both grin and high five each other, a new goal discovered.

Tessa opened and closed her mouth, dumbstruck. We both were expecting a much bigger reaction than this and we weren't getting that. Just a nod?

Who in the world were these people?! Who would meet someone like us and just accept an, "_It just happened", _as an answer and just go on with their lives with no other questions. Didn't they want to know the name of the people? Or how we ended up there? How long we were there, or even the details of our escape?

"You two must have been to a lot of places since, huh?" Arinna mused, "Maybe I should travel one of these days?"  
"You could go to England." Michelle says.

"Ooh, go see where you grew up?' Arinna chuckles. Michelle winked at her, nodding.

"Wha-" Tessa slammed her hand into the table, and it shook, "What is wrong with you people?!" she demanded. The table froze, eyes wide. "How are you all so calm about this?! How can you just accept what we say? This can't be normal for you! Do you think this is some kind of joke?!" her voice cracks.

I reach a paw towards her hand in hopes to comfort her, but I don't know what to say.

"Of course not." Jake says. Tessa looks at him, breathing hard. "Of course this isn't a joke." He stands, "I don't know what is happening. I don't understand why you two are like this." He glances away, "But I feel like I understand… kind of."

"Wha…What?" Tessa shakes her head, not sure what he was talking about. "What do you mean? What do you understand?"

"The past is painful and you don't always wanna talk about it because it scares you." He motions to the others, "They feel that way too. That is why it is okay. You've told us enough. We don't need to know anymore right now. You can tell us when you are ready and when you want to." He smiles.

Completely awestruck, Tessa slowly slides back into her seat, "…Who are you people?" she breathes.

"A secretary who is raising a turtle." Arinna raises her hand.  
"A photographer who is teaching an Alligator to read." Michelle chuckles.

"A baker going to medical school while simultaneously housing a ninja child." Nicole twirls her fork.

"An apartment worker who got dragged into all of this." Jake grins.

So in conclusion, they were normal people who just so happened to find something extraordinary.

Closing her mouth, Tessa glanced back at her plate. She sniffed, "Could I…" Tessa holds up her plate nervously, "Get another Omelet?"

Blinking once, Nicole smiles, "Yeah sure," she takes the plate back to the kitchen, "I need to get rid of these canned anchovies anyway."

"Oh my gosh-" Arinna got to her feet, "You are not putting more anchovies in her omelets." she follows her into the kitchen.

"Don't be a control freak, Arinna." Nicole points at her.

"I am not a control freak." Arinna argued.

Nicole gave her a dull look. "… Knock knock."

"…" Arinna furrowed her brows. "I'm not going to say it."

"Knock knock." Nicole said again.

"No."

"Knock! Knock!"

"…" Arinna shook her head, refusing.

Nicole sighed, "This is when you say, '_Who's there?" _Then I say, Control freak." She said. "Then you say, 'Control freak who?' Arinna. Then do you know what I say?"

"…"

"Control freak you!"

"Nicole!" Arinna started to pathetically slap her.

Michelle sighed, "Well- that aside." she turned back to us, "If you two need a place to stay for a while, you can stay here."

"What?" we ask in surprise.

"I have plenty of room." she motions around, "I am not here the whole day too because I have work so you can have some privacy if you want it. And- and you would not have to worry about the neighbors because they already know you are here. You can talk with Leatherhead and Elizabeth- I am sure they would like you once you got to know them."

We don't know what to say. What was the right choice here?  
Never in a million years did I think that this would have happened, but it is…

"What about…" I lick my lips, "That woman from before?"

"Agatha?" Michelle inquires, and then waves it off, "Do not worry. Even if she does discover you are here, I am sure she will understand. Plus, we have gone this long without her figuring it out. We will be fine… probably." She glances away, wondering if she just jinxed herself. "…What do you say?"

We don't know what to do. So we just sit there for a while, but something clicked and we just nodded.

_("…So we are staying?") _Tessa asks.

("_Only for a little while.") _I tell her, ("_We have to be certain these people aren't tricking us. So we'll play it by ear and watch each other's backs, okay?")_

_("Okay.")_

* * *

**YAY! THIS CHAPTER WAS FUN!**

**Nothing to exciting of course, but a lot of information hopefully. **

**I realized in this chapter I never really described anyone in detail to much; especially Jake 0.0 So here we go!**

**Yes, Jake has red eyes. Cool and mysterious, right? I should mention that later in another chapter….**

**ANYWAY! Yay for this chapter!  
WARNING: In about two chapters I'm going to make a jump! And when I say jump, I mean**_**TIME JUMP! **_

**Which means I'll be skipping a few years :D I don't know how many just yet, but a few years will be skipped to get the story moving. **


	14. We're family

**WAHOO! A whole new set of classes just started so I was busy, but I managed to get this chapter out at least! so I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Nicole has stopped Tessa from killing herself at least 10 times today, and she was rather sick of it. A few of the ways being; stopped Tessa from drinking bleach, eating Batteries, sticking a fork in an outlet- It was like playing the game _Who's your Daddy, _except Nicole was constantly on the role of the Dad and Tessa was the baby that kept trying to kill itself. If you are confused, look up the game.

They had to double baby proof the place! And Tessa was smart enough to figure out the baby proofing and get around it, so it was a non-stop battle!

"Don't." she pointed to Tessa was she started to approach the microwave. The young teenage mutant's hands had been bandaged multiple times today, and Nicole was not going to do it again.

Freezing, Tessa stepped back, going back to her exploration of the room. It was fine when Tessa went through books or what not, but the appliances were another story.

"I apologize." K.R said for the billionth time, "She has not seen much of the world."

'You keep saying that- Don't!" she pointed to Tessa again when she started to curiously open and close the closet, her fingers dangerously close to being jammed between the door and wall.

Though honestly that wouldn't have been that bad compared to this morning when Nicole walked into the kitchen and found Tessa with her arm halfway down the drain.

Or the blender. She just stuck her hand into the blender. She cut her fingers on the blade at the bottom than dropped the blender. There was glass everywhere. She got all upset, thinking she had made Nicole mad- which she kind of did- and tried picking up the glass with her bare hands. This caused her to cut her fingers even more.

Arinna just winced at the sight, attempting to assure Tessa it was fine afterward, "Uh… That's okay. We needed a new one anyway." No. No they didn't. Their blender was perfectly fine.

Or an hour ago when Nicole was about to start the oven to cook some cookies for Elizabeth, and when she opened the bottom, Tessa was in there! She was lucky Nicole hadn't turned it on yet!

"Wha- No! No no! Get out." Nicole ordered. K.R had come in and had a panic attack, quickly rushing Tessa out.

"That is a very dangerous place, Tessa." K.R told her, "You could get severe burns from within."

"I didn't get burned." Tessa says.

"It wasn't on." Nicole grumbled at her, double-checking the oven once more before finally turning it on and placing the cookies inside. Tessa was curious and moved to kneel in front of the oven, attempting to open it to peek inside, eyes widening when a wave of heat shot out.

"Look through the glass." Nicole slammed it back shut.

"What is this thing for?" Tessa asked with wide eyes.  
"It is an oven. It cooks things." Nicole answered irritably.

"What are you cooking?"  
"Cookies,"

"What are cookies?" she continued to ask questions.

"You don't know cookies?" Elizabeth gasped at her, "Cookies are amazing! And Yummy!"

"Yummy?" Tessa looked back at the oven, then joined Elizabeth at the table, "Can I have one?"

"Yeah yeah." Nicole pinched the bridge of her nose. "Give it a few minutes though."

Nodding, Tessa went back to look around the room. Picking up the saltshaker, she tipped it, jumping when white sparkles fell out. "Sugar?" she asks. She had already spilled an entire bag before, so it was no surprise she mixed the two up since they look so similar.

"Not sugar." Nicole sighs. She can hear Tessa gagging behind her and realizes she had poured a bunch of salt into her mouth, thinking it was sugar.  
"Not sugar." she scratches at her throat, "Bitter."

"Salt." Elizabeth tells her, "It is good on stuff, not so much alone."

Nodding, Tessa put the shaker back and instead grabs the pepper. Nicole can barely contain her frustration when there was another assortment of gagging, "Spicy!" Tessa yelled.

"Pepper." Elizabeth finds this funny, "You don't just eat it." she starts giggling in a way that Nicole recognizes as Elizabeth about to mess with someone. "Here, try this. It is called a lemon."

Tessa takes it and starts to suck on it. A second later her lips contort and her eyes squint. She chucks the lemon in disgust, turning to cover her mouth.

Elizabeth couldn't laugh hard enough.

"W-What was that?" Tessa whines.

"A lemon. It was sour, right?" Elizabeth snickers. Tessa nods vigorously, grabbing the second one and handing it to K.R.

He stares at it, than at her. "...No thanks."

She moves it closer in an insisting motion, "It is sour."

"Yes, I saw. No thanks." he bats it away with his paw.

That was how most of the days seemed to go- showing Tessa things. Giving her a chance to taste, touch, and feel all these new things that she never had the chance to before. Nicole admits to being a little curious to exactly what kind of environment she grew up in, but wasn't going to ask her anytime soon. Not unless she was the one to bring it up.

Nicole had enough weird backstories to deal with anyway.

"I prefer sweet things." Tessa announces.

"Cookies are sweet." Elizabeth starts to bounce a bit when Nicole starts to pull them out of the oven.

"They are hot." she puts them on a plate and places them in front of the girls, "Let them cool down."

"Okay." they nod. The cookies were gone 5 minutes later, Tessa humming affectionately at the taste.

"They were.. Yummy." she tells Nicole. Nicole can't help but smile.  
"Thanks." she watches Tessa go back to exploring the room. "Elizabeth, go take a bath." Nicole tells her.

"Aww." Elizabeth pouts.

"Go." Nicole motions to the bathroom. Grumbling and knowing how to start her own bath, Elizabeth trudged off, leaving Nicole alone with K.R and Tessa. A picture entranced Tessa and K.R was content with just watching her. At one point, the young mutant paused at a picture frame, picking it up curiously.

"Don't break that." Nicole warns her.

"Who is this?" she points to the man in the frame. He shared Nicole's face, his nose and color of his eyes being the only big difference between the two.

"My brother." Nicole answers.

"Elizabeth's Father." Tessa says. Nicole almost snorts.

"No." she corrects, "He isn't Elizabeth's Father, that was just a lie to get Agatha off my back and let Elizabeth live here."

"Than Elizabeth is not your child either?"

"No, we aren't related."  
"Yet you treat her like your own."

"I…" Nicole closes her mouth, "Well-" she doesn't know how to argue, "She isn't-" Nicole feels torn, "I don't know." she admits.

"Tessa." K.R tells her, "It is possibly the same relation we share. We are not blood related; yet our bond is the same as any other sibling. They are not Mother and Child, yet they care for one another in similar ways."

Nicole couldn't say anything, scrubbing wildly at the dishes. Tessa seemed to accept that though.

Nicole had never thought of having children, and yeah Elizabeth grew on her but- Maybe she did care about her in that way? It was hard to say.

"He looks like you." Tessa catches her attention.

"What? Who?" Nicole asks.

"Your brother." she puts the picture frame back. Nicole nods slowly.

"...Yeah."

Michelle came into the apartment a second later, "Nicole, I require your newspaper if you are done reading it."

"Ohmygosh, why?" Nicole demands.

"For creative purposes."

Nicole grumbled something and motioned to the papers sitting on the table. "Fine." Michelle cheered and went to collect them.

Giving a small smile, Tessa placed the frame back, "What is his name?"

"What?" Nicole glanced at her.

"Your brother. What is his name?"

"Jeremy. I call him JerJer." Nicole smiled fondly. Tessa found that confusing.

"If his name is Jeremy, why do you call him by something else?"

"It is just a nickname." Nicole explains, "Like, you are Tessa, but I could call you Tes. It is just a shortened or fun version of your name. Like Michelle could be Elle or something. Or how Nicole is the short version of my name."

Michelle lifted her head, her face slowly morphing to confusion. "What?" she asked.

"What?" Nicole repeated the question.

"Your name isn't really Nicole?"

"Nope."

"Wha- well what is it then?" she had thought Nicole was her full name.

Nicole seems hesitant suddenly, "Nicoles." she mutters under her breath.

Michelle slowly pursed her lips, "Your name is… Nicoles? Is that not a boy's name?"

"It is." Nicole says with slight irritation.

"But you're a girl." Tessa points to her.

"My Dad, before I was born, was positive I would be a boy. Didn't even check with the doctor, just assumed. So he got everything prepared for the arrival of a little baby boy. Streamers, big cake with a boys name on it, and a banner that said _Nicoles _on it." she explained, "When I was born, it didn't take rocket science to figure out I was a girl- though it took my parents a good 30 minutes to, and instead of just changing the name on the banner or cake, or whatever- my dad just named me Nicoles because he didn't want to have to return any of the stuff and promised all his friends that the baby would be named as such."

Michelle slowly covered her mouth, hiding a cracking smile, "Are you serious?"

"Yes." she made a pose, "To be correct, my name is Nicoles Extra-ordinary Cater."

"Extra Ordinary?"

"He meant for it to be extraordinary, but he isn't the best at spelling and put some weird dash thing in between the two words and made it Extra-Ordinary."

"Oh my gosh…" Michelle can't stop laughing, "Please tell me you are joking!"

'I wish I was." Nicole sighed heavily. "I really do."

"I still don't understand." Tessa admits, "Why do you not just go by Nicoles if that is your real name?"

"Because it is a boy's name." Nicole scowled, "I mean, it isn't that odd is it- to go by another name? You brother's name is K.R. What does that stand for?"

K.R lifted his head, opened his mouth, and then shut it. Lowering his gaze, as if realizing he didn't have an answer, he says, "My name is just K.R."

Michelle found that curious, "Oh? I thought it was short for something."  
"It isn't. Or at least- I don't think it is?" he glanced away, "I don't remember. It might have stood for something, but all I can ever remember are the initials K.R."

Nicole and Michelle glanced at each other, "Oh." they say.

"Well-" Michelle clears her throat. "K.R is a lovely name nonetheless."

He looked a little pleased with this, but walked away after. Nicole was worried they might have upset him, but it wasn't like she could help him through it. She didn't know his real name, and if he didn't either, she had no way of ever figuring it out.

**00000-Two days later-0000**

"Do you like music boxes?"

Tessa had been found hoarding Nicole's music box in the closet when Leatherhead opened the door and shifted the coat to reveal her face. Turning red at being caught, she lowered herself to the ground, "I-I'm sorry." she stammered.

Leatherhead glanced over his shoulder to look for the others. When he saw no one was noticing them, he smiled at her, "That is my favorite as well." he tells her. "When I first got here, I would come in here to listen to it."

Tessa dared to take a glance at him, "You did?"

Leatherhead motioned next to her, "Can I… join you?"

She didn't hesitate to move over, making as much room possible. With a bit of struggle, Leatherhead squeezed into the closet, coats hitting his face as he sat next to Tessa, tucking his knees up to his chest. His form seemed humungous compared to the petite mutant next to him. "This was my sanctuary when I first arrived." Leatherhead tells her, "Nicole didn't like me much at first."

Tessa fumbled with the outer lining of the music box, "She doesn't seem to like anyone at first."  
He chuckled, "You have a point, but most people she tends to meet don't exactly make the best first impression. I know I didn't."

Tessa frowns and nods, recalling the night she snuck into Michelle's apartment, "Is that why you hid in here? She didn't like you?"

"She was terrified of me." when Tessa gave him a startled gaze, he smiles nervously, "She had this fear of Alligators from when she was little. She tried her best not to scream every time she saw me, which I will always give her an A for effort, but it was hard for her."  
Tessa couldn't even see any fear in Nicole's eyes when she looked at him- did she hide it that well? "Does she still fear you?"

"No- at least, I do not think so. At some point we became friends and I stopped hiding in here." Leatherhead continues, "It is hard to believe others would just accept me as I am- so I hid in here to avoid them as much as possible. Is that why you come in here so often?"

"No." Tessa says, "...Maybe? I dunno." She shifted a bit, "I've never been surrounded by so many people before, and it was usually just K.R and me. The two of us against the world that was so heavily watched by others. That was all we were- a research experiment. We never held any value to anyone other than tools. It is different here."

"I value you." Leatherhead says.

The look on her face seems at though he physically hit her with his words, "You- don't mean that."  
'I do." he insists.

She turns on him, "Why?!" in frustration she hit him in the shoulder- he didn't even flinch. When he sat in silence, her anger grew and she was ready to get up and storm away, but he spoke up in a voice so gentle, it made her freeze.

"You're like me."

Lowering her fist, and relaxing her shoulders, she asked, "Like you?"

"I wasn't created for the best reason. Horrible things created me. Creatures that could never be considered human. I was only a weapon to them. I got out, but even with that I thought I would never belong anywhere. My life would forever be a curse." He grinned at her, "But then Arinna found me. She took me in even though it was hard for her. Even now I think I'm just a burden to them- but I can't bare to leave everyone. I've grown to love them. And I never thought I would learn that feeling."

Taking a few hesitant breaths, Tessa started the music box. Neither spoke a word after that- they felt they didn't need to. They were comfortable simply sitting in silence, the music box being the only sound between the two.

An hour later they exited the closet, mutual small smiles shared between the two.

"I understand if you ever want to talk." Leatherhead assured her. She nodded.

"...Thanks."

Leather Head suddenly seemed nervous, "Do… That is to say- have you ever made a puzzle?"

"A puzzle?"  
"We have a lot. Would you like to join me?"

"I'm not sure what a puzzle is." Tessa admits, "But- yes. I would love to."

Leatherhead bounced ever so slightly with joy, motioning for her to follow, "I have collected many puzzles." he grins, "From simple to complicated- my favorite one is the recent one I received from my good friend, Jake. The picture was taken in Africa on the setting sun."

"Ooh." Tessa perks up, "Sounds pretty.'  
"It is- and puzzle building is very soothing, I assure you. But- you might find it boring."

"I won't." it sounds like a promise shared between the two.

**-00000-Next morning-000000-**

Jake was the one to find K.R attempting to pick up a phone with his paws early in the morning. Since they were worried Agatha might venture into Michelle and Nicole's apartment one of these days, Tessa, K.R., Picasso, and Leatherhead were staying with him for a while. He didn't mind at all of course but- Jake was starting to notice K.R. attempting to do _Human _things as of late. Such as picking up the phone.

When it had begun to ring, Jake had assumed someone else would get it since Nicole and Arinna were in his apartment, but as time went by, he realized no one was. So he got up to answer it himself, but ended up finding K.R seated on top of the table, his small cat paws attempting to pick it up himself.

"Um…" he says slowly, startling the poor guy enough to make him leap off the dresser. "What are you doing?"

K.R glances cautiously from him to the phone, "The phone is ringing." he said simply.

"And you were going to answer it?" He hoped it was obvious to what he was trying to point out as the phone cut off and went to voicemail.

K.R glanced at his own paws, his ears flattening, "Oh… I see you're point." he nods. "I suppose I'm still-" he trails off, "I sometimes forget I'm not human anymore."

Jake frowns, shuffling his feet. "It's…" he wanted to say it was okay, that everything would be alright, but how could he assure that? Perhaps a change in topic then? "Want to play a videogame? I'm sure we could figure out how to work the controller with your paws." he offers.

K.R found this interesting and his ear tilted upward, "I haven't played video game since I was 6." he admits.

Moving into the living area, the two were surprised to see Tessa seated on the couch, smiling down at her lap. Picasso was there, lying limply in her arms, the expression of complete boredom on his face.

Jake was astonished to see such a wide array of facial cues from a baby, and a turtle no less. He was a very unamused infant at times, but seemed content to just lay across Tessa.

"Tessa." K.R greets her. She perks up, glancing at them. "We are about to play a video game." he tells her. She tilts her head a bit, blinking.

"A what?"

"Video game." Jake explains. Her puzzled expression doesn't leave. Jake wants to gasp in horror, 'You've never played a video game?" this was a crime that could not continue!

Moving quickly he got the first game he could find set up and joined her on the couch, "You are going to love this." he assures her, "Video games are awesome." he hands her the controller. She holds it oddly, looking to K.R for help.

Through many grueling hours, Jake had taught Tessa how to play a video game. She was a natural at it, quick to follow Jake's lead in the high scores. K.R watched fondly, giving Tessa instructions or possible tips from time to time in how to win the game. Both often found themselves screaming at the screen when something startled them.

Jake laughed at them.

After a short time, the three paused when Arinna gasped behind, "Good gosh Leather head!" she yelled.

Turning to look over their shoulders, they could see Leather Head standing with his back to the wall, his spine straight and his eyes directed forward. Arinna was to his side, using a stepping stool to reach above his head with a pen. "You've grown 2 inches into 2 weeks! A new inch every week!"

"If you continue in this path, you will hit the ceiling." Michelle pointed out. "We might need to consider moving to somewhere with a larger roof."  
"Where could we possibly move to?" Nicole snorted at the thought, 'Or a better question, how would we get Leatherhead even there?"

"We could use your van." Michelle offered.

"How would we get him in and out of the building?" Nicole pressed. Michelle paused to consider the options, unable to come up with many. It was a miracle that Arinna was able to originally get him here unseen.

"Are we really moving?" Elizabeth doesn't seem to like the idea.

"No." Nicole assures her, "Just speaking of what ifs. Besides, I doubt we could move anywhere and not be seen as suspicious. Other managers wouldn't be as forgiving as Agatha."

"Agatha is on the last straw with us anyway." Jake points out, "Not saying that I agree to you moving though, cause then I would have no friends that live here." he added quietly, "But it might want to be an option."

"I don't want to move." Arinna pouts, "I like this apartment. We just have to make sure everything is fine when Agatha comes along."

"You know, I can only convince Agatha that everything is _fine _for so long." Nicole said. "One day she will come into our apartments and figure out what is happening."

"I know." Michelle sighed.

After a short pause, with a small hesitation, K.R says, "I take it we are to blame for this."

"No." Michelle said quickly. "Well- kind of. Agatha has been suspicious of us for a while. It only got worse when you two arrived."

"I had to do the gardening work around the place for a while to make up for the disturbance." Nicole agreed

"Really?" Michelle inquired, "I had to mop all the floors in the building." The two chuckled, but didn't seem to notice K.R and Tessa's lowered gazes.

It had been almost two weeks since they first arrived here. They… liked it here. They felt comfortable and safe. That was unheard of to them- and a blessing.

No one here looked to them like freaks, and all of them were very kind. They never asked questions, accept for their likes and dislikes.

Arinna had even assured them that if they never spoke of their past, than that was alright. Everything was all right.

But it wasn't.

These people were kind to them but they caused nothing but trouble in return. Their very presence could completely shatter this safe house for everyone else. As much as they liked to stay here forever- they knew they couldn't.

It would be better to leave now and keep everything stable for a longer time over waiting for everything to crash down.

And that is why during that exact night, they rose from their bed and packed a few apples and two water bottles into Tessa's pockets.

The entire situation made them feel numb. Tessa felt sick knowing that she could close her eyes and make her way through this entire apartment by memory alone- that is how much she explored and took the time to examine each detail- each crevice.

Glancing towards the door leading to Jake's room, they sighed. This family was strange and unforgettable- in the best way possible.

"We should go." K.R tone was strained. They had lingered just a bit too long, their urge to stay getting the better of them.

"I know." Tessa sniffs. Lifting the bag over her shoulder, she crept to the window. She cursed herself for turning back and giving the apartment one last look- it made opening the window even harder.

Sighing, her heart heavy, she lifted her first leg up and out. She didn't get farther than that before a voice spoke up, "My friends, what are you doing?" She straightened, turning around in a panic to find Leather Head sitting up and rubbing at his sleepy eyes. "Did you require fresh air?"  
"I-" Tessa was numb, unable to speak. K.R. seemed to be in a similar fashion. Blinking at them, confused to why they did not answer, Leather Head's gaze travelled to their bag. His eyes slowly widened.

"Are... Are you two leaving?" he whispers.

"We-" Tessa couldn't bare to look at him. "We shouldn't have stayed so long. It is dangerous for ourselves and everyone here."

"Why?" Leatherhead quickly got up, "We love having you here."

"It is too dangerous." K.R insists, "Those people…" he cuts himself off, his voice growing pained, "The people who did this to us will track us down eventually. They will try to hurt all of you."

"I shall not let them." Leatherhead speaks up.  
"You won't be able to stop them.  
"I will." he steps forward.

"You won't." Tessa sharply turns around, trying to stay as quiet as possible.

"I swear I will." Leatherhead reaches forward, hand grasping the window and closing it. It only got half way down before Tessa threw her palm out and caught it. The two struggled against the other's strength to either close the window or keep it open.

"You do not have to run away anymore. You can stay here." Leatherhead pleads with them. Tessa shuts her eyes, squeezing them closed as tightly as she can, as if she thought she could drown out the sound of his voice that way.

"No." her voice cracks, "We can't. We've already caused enough trouble for all of you."  
"We can figure it out."  
"How can you assure that?" K.R demands, "From our arrival the trust between the others and the landlord diminished. She will discover everything one day and we brought that day closer with our arrival."

"So you just leave? Family does not just leave!"

Tessa tried to silence him, "We aren't family-"

"Yes we are!"

He startled her enough to make her lose her train of thought. Fumbling for the words, she stuttered, "We- you… you hardly know us- we haven't- we've only been here three weeks."

"I know you enough to tell you are both kind souls that have gone through many hardships." Leatherhead's voice grows gentle. "These three weeks felt natural- as if you two were supposed to be here. Everyone has already grown accustomed to your stay- even Nicole. You are family. Now and forever.' Tessa's hand slip against the window and Leather Head was able to close it completely. When she started to sniff, K.R rubbing his face against her cheek to still her tears, Leather Head stepped forward and embraced the two.

"Better or worse- family faces the future together. So- it is okay. It is okay for you two to stay here. We will protect you. I promise. And in return, I know you will protect us too."

Tessa sobbed into Leather Head's chest, her arms reaching up to weakly grasp his back. K.R was quiet, his gaze nuzzled deep into the sleeve of Tessa's shirt.

The two stayed like that for a long time, exhaustion hitting hard, leaving them on the ground. Jake found them that way the next morning, piled on top of each other and sound asleep. He would never know of what happened the night before- no one but Tessa, K.R and Leather Head would. It would be their little secret.

For now, Tessa and K.R would stay. They were still uncertain of their choice to stay, but for now, they would stick with it and hope for a brighter and more stable future.

* * *

**And we've reached the end! I really liked this chapter :) A lot of Leatherhead being a big softie :) ^_^**

**Anyway, once again, a time skip coming up here in a few chapters! :D **


	15. The Angel in Storeroom2

"See Alex run." Michelle says.

"See Alex run." Tessa repeats, tracing the words with her finger as she reads them. "See Alex s…" she struggled for a moment, "Sit. See Alex sit."

"Excellent work." Michelle praised her, "Your reading is improving stupendously, Tessa."

Tessa brightened at the praise, smiling. The last two weeks were filled with Michelle and the others trying to teach Tessa how to read and write.

K.R had taught her a little, but with how often they had to change locations it was difficult to get too deep into each lesson.

That wasn't to say Michelle was the best teacher around either- she was very unsure of what the best way to teach Tessa was. Should she teach her how to write first then read- or switch the two?

Arinna and her both tried looking it up online, but it wasn't that great of help. Neither of them were trained in this- but they were doing the best they could. They were both dreading the day they would try to bring numbers and math into the lessons.

"I barely passed Algebra with a c-." Arinna tells her.

"I honestly do not remember anything from my classes either." Michelle is a little pale, "We should consider buying teaching books. I have seen them in book stores."  
"Well this would probably go better if Nicole would help us out." Arinna glares at her.

"I don't see why you should be angry at me." Nicole says calmly, flipping the page in her book.

"I never finished High school or College! You did! You should be the one teaching them how to write, not me."

"You don't need a college or High school degree to be able to write. You learned it in elementary school." Nicole says calmly, "Besides, my degrees focus on baking and mechanics. And I'm working for my degree in Medicine, so if you want me to teach Tessa how to bake, make a robot or stitch a wound, I'm your girl."

Arinna groaned, shaking her head. "Well I would ask Jake for help, but I think he dropped out of school earlier than I did."  
"He could probably teach them all the cheats in video games." Leather Head offers.

"True."

"Speaking of him- I have not seen him all day. I wonder what he is up to?" Michelle glanced around.

"Probably working." Nicole says. Michelle hums then glances at the clock.

"Could you do me a favor Nicole?"

Nicole lowered her book with a sigh, "What?"

"As you can see I am in the middle of a lesson with Tessa-" she motioned to the child reading books, "Could you run over to Jake's and see if he is home? I need to know if he is joining us for dinner tonight."  
"Why don't you just call him?" Nicole grumbled.

"I punched it." Tessa lifted her hand nervously. Nicole wasn't sure what she meant.

'You punched what?"

"The phone."

"…Why?" she drew out the question, eyes narrowed.

"It startled me." Tessa lowered her gaze nervously.

"Michelle changed the ring tone, so when it started to ring it was rather shocking to Tessa and myself, and often times Tessa's first reaction is to punch whatever spooks her." K.R explained

"Of course.' Nicole pinched her nose, "That makes way too much sense." Getting to her feet she put her book down and got on her shoes, "Fine. I'll be right back."

Shuffling out the door and down the hall, she gave Jake's door a few good bangs. "Jake?" There was no reply, "Jake. Jake-a-roonie. Hey." She lowered her voice "Open the door or I'll kill you~~~" in the spirit of the upcoming holiday that was Halloween, she had begun using her witch voice as of late. Arinna hated it because it was, to Nicole's pride, very creepy.

It even convinced Elizabeth to go as a Witch this year. Everyone was looking forward to it, especially Leatherhead. They would use it as a chance to let him out of the house for once and let him get out and about. A single night of peace and not worrying about them being discovered was something they all needed.

"Jake-Cake?" Nicole tried again.

When there was still no answer, Nicole moved the rug at Jake's door and grabbed the spare key. From what happened with Michelle and Tessa, she's made it a habit to at least check in the rooms if there is no answer. She had to be sure there were no random mutant holding her friends' hostage.

With that thought she opened the door and stepped inside. All the lights were on- which must mean that Jake was in the apartment somewhere, "Jake?" she asked.

"Nicole?!" she could hear him yell from his bedroom, sounding panicked and breathless. Rushing over to it, she swung the door open to find Jake balancing on top of his night stand, his lamp held over his head in defense as if he intended to throw it.  
"Jake?" she gasps at the sight, instantly on guard, "What happened? What are you doing up there?" she scanned the room for any hostile intruders.

"T-There…" Jake motioned to the floor, his face pale and his voice wavering. Nicole scanned the floor, her gaze unable to pick up whatever it was she was supposed to see.

"…What?" she asks.

"There!" he jabbed his finger at it again.

Nicole cringed, unable to see what this thing was, "I don't see-"Something small moved, and she realized it was a spider. "…The spider?" she asks, completely joking until Jake nodded, looking ready to burst into tears. "Seriously?"

"I c-can't handle, s-s-spiders." He stammers.

"Ohmygod." She gets to her feet, moving over to kill the stupid thing with her foot, "Are you serious?"

"Yes I'm serious!" he watches with almost an odd satisfaction as she kills the accursed beast. "They are creepy and crawly and can crawl in your ear!"

She moved towards him, thinking he looked like a baby when he held his arms out to her and she had to help him down from the nightstand.

"How can you like Spiderman but hate spiders?" she questions.

"Spider man is a man. Not a spider. He just has powers of a spider." Jake points to her, almost insulted that she dares bring his childhood hero into this conversation and compare him to a bug.

"You're sad." She tells him.

"Am not."

"Alright, then tell me… how long were you on the nightstand because you saw one little spider?"

Jake didn't answer for a long time, his gaze looking everywhere but at her.

"…Two hours. I couldn't reach the phone."  
"Sad."

"It isn't sad- Spider! SPIDER!" Jake wailed when a second one suddenly moved on the wall. He then leapt at Nicole, clinging to her like a Koala, refusing to let his feet touch the ground. Nicole almost fell over at the impact, gagging.

"Dude! Chill!' the two stumbled out of the room before toppling over the couch and onto the floor with a thud. Pinching Jake's nose and giving it a tug to get him to release her, she sat up. "It is just a spider."  
"Two spiders! There were two! There could be more! Right in this room!" he leapt upwards and onto the couch. "I ran out of bug killer and now I can't get rid of them! Now they will live here forever and ever and I'll never get rid of them and then they'll eat my brains by crawling into my ears."  
"Gross."

"It is gross!"

"Jake." She held up her hand, hoping to calm his anxiety and panicked state, "We'll just get some more bug killer or something, okay? It isn't that big of a deal."

"It is a big deal." He disagrees, looking distraught.

Nicole blinks at him, not wanting to be the bad guy in this situation and completely cut him down for his fear.

So she sighed and scratched the back of her neck, looking around the room until she thought of any idea.

"We'll just ask Agatha for some bug killer, okay?" she asks him. Sniffing, Jake nods his head.

"Cool." Together the two of them exited the apartment and went to the elevator.

"You figure out what you are going to be for Halloween?" she asks once they are inside.

"I dunno." He admits, "How does Black Panther sound?"

"I don't know too much on that hero." Nicole shrugs, "He is the one that is a King, right?"

"Yeah."

"That would probably be a good one then. Arinna is going as Ash Ketchum from Pokemon. She dressed Picasso up as Squirtle."

Jake laughed at that, "Did Michelle pick anything?"  
"I convinced her to go as a Ghost Buster with me." Nicole grins, "I'm trying to get Agatha to join us, but she insists that she doesn't want to dress up and go gallivanting off into the city with us. If I'm persistent enough though, I think I can get her to at least put the outfit on."

"Who is your Fourth ghost buster?"  
"Tessa and K.R will be one of the ghost."

"Ah." Jake smiles, looking forward when they arrived at the Lobby, only to find the front desk empty.

"Agatha?" Nicole ran the bell. Waiting a few minutes, she rang it a few more times. Frowning, she stepped around the desk and stuck her hand between the beads- because Agatha had hanging beads to her office like a hippie instead of a door. Separating the strings, she peaked in. Seeing no one inside, she blinked, "She's gone." she told Jake.

Jake was nervously rubbing at his palms. "Oh…. Then I have to go back to the apartment? I don't like spiders…" he was prancing a bit in place.

"Dude, relax. Agatha has bug killer somewhere. It is probably in the storerooms." she promised him. She pulled out her phone and dialed Agatha's number to let them know they needed her. When she didn't pick up, Nicole left a message.

He looked pale, "Do we really need to go to the Store rooms?"

"Yeah, they are in the basement." she grabs the key from behind the desk. Jake doesn't look comfortable.

"W-We should wait for Agatha."  
"I've been down there a billion times, it'll be fine. Come on. It is just bug killer." she starts to drag him with her.

The first store room was right at the bottom of the steps, and often times it usually held everything that a person would need. Which always made the room cramped.

Nicole never understood why Agatha didn't just put half of the supplies in one storeroom and the other stuff in the other room.

"Find it?" Nicole asks over her shoulder.

Jake sneezes from the dust, "No."

"Me either."

They search the whole store room, finding nothing but toilet paper, brooms, and other cleaning supplies. "Must be in the other one." she notes.

"The other one?" Jake looks pale.

"Yup." She starts heading down the hall.

"W-Wait!' he grabs her arm, "What are you doing?"

"Going to Storeroom 2."

"H-Haven't you heard of the rumors?" Jake whimpered.

"Rumors?" Nicole questions.

"All the other residents talk about it." Jake begins to explain. "Store room 2 is haunted."

Nicole snorts, "Haunted?" she laughs, "You have got to be kidding me."

"Several people have disappeared down here. T-They were never seen again! Something took them, they say."

"Right." She scoffs, "And what were the names of these missing residents?"

Jake couldn't answer because he didn't know.

"Boom, rumor destroyed." She pulls her arm out of his grip. He stumbles after her, making little pleading noises to get her to stop.

"We'll go in and then go out. Simple, Jake."

The lights above them began to flicker. Looking up at it, Jake screamed when it suddenly cut off, leaving them in darkness. A second later, a light came from Nicole's phone.

"Jake." he was clinging to Nicole, "Let go."

"T-The light-" he whimpered  
"It just died out. Lightbulbs do that." she shoved him off, using her phone to guide their way. "Come on, we are almost there."

He pulls out his own phone in a frantic panic, "I-I don't think this is a good idea." he admits.

Shuffling the rest of their way down the hall, they stop at the last door, "Storeroom 2." Nicole ran her flashlight over the number. Jake was frowning behind her.  
"Nicole." he whined pitifully.

"Stop being a baby. Come on." she grabbed his arm and gave it a tug. He stumbled in after her. Prepared to click off the light on her phone, she hesitated when the light switch to the room didn't work. Trying a few times, she hummed, "This one is out too." Jake was making worried little noises behind her. "Light bulbs go out Jake." she tells him. Shinning her phone light around the room, she noticed a large gray box attached to the wall. Popping it open, she titled her head, "Found the circuit breaker."

"Great." Jake says quietly, staying at least 3 inches behind her. He inched a bit closer when the water pipes above them groaned from the movement of water within them.

"Little elbow room please." Nicole asks him.

"…Sorry." He didn't step away.

"….Jakeeee~" she used her witch voice. He flinched away.

"Don't do that!" he hissed quietly.

"Then give me space." She said back, equally as quiet.

He pouted at her, then turned away. To take up his time and distract his worries on the rumors of Store Room 2, Jake began to rummage through one of the boxes. Nicole followed his example, frowning when she couldn't seem to find what they were looking for.

Jake was having no luck with the box he was going through, "What does the bottle look like?"

"I dunno- it says bug killer." Nicole pulls her phone out again to call Agatha, hoping she could at least tell Nicole where the stuff was stored at.

She didn't answer again. Jake was deadly quiet behind her, but she assumed he had lost himself to thought.

Mid way through her voicemail to Agatha, Jake tapped her shoulder.

"N-N-N… Ni-." he is hitting her shoulder suddenly, his breathing coming out in shrill gasps.  
"Jake I'm leaving a message. What do you want-?" she looks over her shoulder. He is pointing ahead. Following his finger and moving her phone to see, her throat drops to her stomach. Staining the floor in small droplets was a sickening red color. She recognized the dark red instantly.

The phone almost slips from her hand and she scrambles to catch it, barely able to say, "Gotta go." to the voicemail, before she shuts it close, turning back to the light on her phone to illuminate the stained floor.

"...Is that blood?" she asks, her voice barely a whisper. She approaches it cautiously, kneeling down to get a closer look. Blood. It was definitely blood. Feeling sick, she points the light around once more.

Every fiber in her being is telling her to leave- but the years she has put into medical school is forcing her to hold her ground and make sure no one is hurt in here.

Something blue catches her attention. Hesitant and barely using the tips of her fingers she reaches for it, plucking it off the puddle then turning it between her fingers. From what she could tell, it was a feather. It is stained a bit with red, but the blue was striking. There were several feathers in fact, all leading towards the back of the room. Rising to her feet, Nicole starts to follow the trail.

Jake scrambles after her, not sure what she was up to.

Together they inched around the towering boxes, careful to make as little noise as possible.

Getting to the side of the room, the blood stops at the corner… than goes up along the wall. Nicole gulps a bit. "Jake-" There is a sound to their right, and they go back to back, phones held high, "W-Who is there?" Nicole demands.  
"Nicole." Jake pleads, "Lets go.."

"Wait-"

A sharp screech to their right has them clinging to each other. Then a crash, and they are running for the door.

"NEVERMIND! RUN!" Nicol screams. Something large drop down behind them, silhouetted from the shadows.

It moves towards them when it realizes they are heading for the exit.

"GO GO GO!" They leap out of the Storeroom. With several screams of panic they slam the door shut, locking it and tossing a pole between the door handles, sealing the room shut.

There were no windows inside, and the vents were too small for anyone to escape using them, so whatever was in there… it was stuck.

With that in mind, Nicole and Jake backed up until their backs hit the other wall, their eyes locked on the door. Refusing to move, they flinched when the handle began to turn. Once, twice, then frantically, before something slammed against it. The horrid slamming was the final cue for them to get out of there and they ran for the stairs.

Refusing to stop until they reached the lobby, Nicole dove over the counter, grabbing Agatha's desk phone. She was dialing Agatha's number a second later.

"What are you doing?!" Jake demanded, glancing nervously at the door to the bottom floor.

"Calling Agatha!' Nicole told him, "I'm freaking out! She could totally handle whatever that thing was unlike me or you."  
"Good idea! Good idea!" Jake takes a few sharp breaths, "W-What was that? Was it a ghost!? Are we like the Scooby doo gang? I don't want to be Fred!"

"You would be Shaggy, now shut up." Nicole tries again, only to go to voicemail. Jake mumbles something behind her.

"Well you would be Scrappy."

"What did you say?" she whipped around.

He held his arms up defensively, "Nothing. Nothing."

After the 15th call, Nicole gave up, "She isn't answering."

"What do we do?" Jake demanded, "What if that thing gets out? We don't even know what it was! It might have been a ghost! A ghost out to haunt and kill us-"  
"Get a hold of yourself!" Nicole shook him when he started to panic, "We gotta be calm about this. Lets start by going back to the others."

"And do what?!"

"Telling them about what happened!"

Finding they agreed on that, they ran up to the room as fast as they could, barreling through the door and into the others. "There was a ghost!" Jake screamed.

"It wasn't a ghost, shut up!"

"It was a ghost and it was in the storeroom and there was a blood and feathers! I think it ate a bird! Or possessed it! It is like the Thing! It eats them then takes their form!"  
"Jake shut up! We don't know if that is what happened! But if it did, we need to get a flame thrower!"

Arinna and Michelle blinked rapidly, neither knowing what the shell their friends were talking about.  
"Wait- wha- Nicole! Jake! Calm down!" Michelle yells at them, "Explain to us what happened."

"The bug killer- storeroom- ghost!" Jake gasped for air.

"Wasn't… a ghost!" Nicole said

"Down in Storeroom two! There was something there. It tried to attack us!"

"Down in Storeroom two you say?" Michelle jumped when every light in the apartment suddenly cut off. Jake screamed, ducking down to cover his head.

"It's the ghost!"

The lights began to flicker than, blinking rapidly with no distinct pattern.

"What's happening?" Tessa asked. "What is with the lights?"

Stepping back, Nicole scrambled to get the door handle to the front door and looked out. It wasn't just the room; the whole hall was doing this. "...The circuit breaker."

"What?" Arinna peeked out at her. "What about it?"

"The circuit breaker is in storeroom two." Nicole explains quickly, "Whatever is in there is messing with it."  
"Why would they do that?" K.R questions.

"We locked it in." Nicole mumbles, "...After a while someone might get annoyed enough to go check out the problem themselves instead of waiting for Agatha. Or Agatha herself would go down there."

"They would let it out when they went inside the storeroom!" Jake gasped in realization.

"Exactly!" Nicole snapped her fingers at him,

"...And?" Michelle hoped for some sort of plan, "What do we do? Wait for someone to do that or go figure out what it is ourselves."  
Nicole hadn't thought of that, "I could be something bad." she admits, "Something dangerous."

"Or a ghost." Jake whispers.

"There are no such thing as ghosts."

"Do you have proof they don't?!" he demanded, "Cause I have proof they do." he pulled out a book of Goosebumps.

"That is a Nonfiction children's book! That doesn't prove they exist!" Nicole took it from him and tossed it on the other side of the room. "Either way, I don't want to know what is down there. Haven't we found enough weird things as is?"

"Not saying I disagree Nicole." Michelle begins, "Say it is a danger however. I would hate for any of the residents to get caught up in it. If we must resist calling the police to protect our non human friends here, then I say we at least do the right thing and check it out ourselves."

"I agree." Arinna nods. "But not all of us. Maybe only a group, because if Leather Head went all the way to the bottom floor, I can't guarantee we could get him back up here unseen."

Nicole should have known they would say this. "Who goes down then?"

"Can't be all of us, that would be too suspicious." Arinna reminds them yet again.

Nicole grumbled, "Might as well be me, since I was the one already down there. Jake, you in?"

"Go back down there with the chance of death?" he asks incredulously.

"You could see on whether or not it is a ghost." Nicole suggests.

Jake finds that interesting enough to almost agree, but insists they bring Tessa along. "Why Tessa?" K.R demands.

"Have you seen how strong she is? She could level this entire building with a punch. I want her on my team." Jake insists.

"Ooh, yeah he's got a point. Tessa, you're coming with." Nicole nods vigorously.

"If Tessa goes, then so do I." K.R says.

"Cool, whatever. A group of four is good. If we don't contact you within 30 minutes, then assume we are dead." Nicole tells Arinna, who goes pale.

"Don't joke about that." She hits her arm.

"I wanna come too!" Elizabeth raises her arm.

"You gotta stay here and watch Picasso." Nicole said, pointing to the crawling menace who was giving her the stink eye. "You know Arinna can't handle him alone."  
Looking back and forth between the two, Elizabeth sighs, "Yeah." She agrees quietly.

"Alright then, lets go." Nicole steps out of the apartment with the others. K.R takes that chance to leap up to Tessa's shoulder and sit there. It doesn't take long for them to reach the bottom floor and make their way to Storeroom 2.

Quietly approaching the door, Nicole tightened her grip on the wrench in her hands. "Ready?" she whispers to Jake, K.R and Tessa. They both nod, Tessa slowly tilting her head to brush it against K.R's. "Okay. Here we go-"  
"Wait." Jake held out his hand. Nicole froze. "...Maybe we should rethink this?"

"Jake." she sighed.  
"I have a broom!" He yelled, "What is this going to do against a ghost?!"

"It isn't a ghost!" she hit him on top of the head. "If the broom is such a big deal you should have grabbed something else."

"I didn't have anything else." he grouched, rubbing his head, "What was I supposed to do? Grab a frying pan?"

"That would have done better than the broom." She grinded her knuckles into his skull. He yelled, slapping her hands away.

"...Um…" Tessa held up a hand, "so are we going to go or-?" she trailed off, pointing to the door.

"We're going. We're going." Nicole grumbled, grabbing her second wrench and giving it to Jake. He took it, holding it awkwardly between his palms.

"This is heavier than I thought it would be." He admits as if that was the first time he ever held one.

"It is a wrench; they are made of metal. Of course they will be a little heavy." Nicole inches towards the door, running her hand over the pole she had previously placed there. It meant no one had entered or exited the room since Jake and her fled from the scene.

Removing the pole, she hesitated from unlocking it, giving the group one final look before she turned the lock. She couldn't hear anything on the other side and slowly creeped it open.

Half expecting something to pop up as soon as she did that, she was relieved to find nothing… so far.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Tessa inquired quietly.

'I didn't get a good look at it. Something with feathers I guess." Nicole shrugs.

"Blue feathers." Jake adds, pulling out his phone and using the light on it to guide their way.

"Are you positive it wasn't a bird?" K.R frowns.

"It was big. There is no way it could have been a bird." Jake tells him, "It was almost… I dunno- human?"

K.R and Tessa gave each other curious looks and went back to scanning the room.

After two minutes of horrible silence, something crashed towards the corner of the room, making all four of them jump. Sharing quick looks, they quietly approached the corner, weapons held high. Jake was the first to get there, leaping around the side to survey the area. Blinking once, then twice, he frowned. There was nothing over here.

"False alarm-" he turns back to look at the others and sees something. His eyes grow wide when he spots the shadowed figure sneaking behind all of them and towards the door. The sound had simply been a distraction for it to escape, "THERE!" he bellows.

Startling both his friends and the creature, they all flinched, whipping around to either give chase or flee. "Tessa!" K.R yelled to her.

"On it!" she sprinted forward, holding a high advantage to the injured beast in front of her. Taking out it's legs with a move Nicole remembered Elizabeth doing once, specifically to Tessa herself, the lumbering figure toppled over, two elegant wings lifting upward in the decent.

While this startled and shocked Jake and Nicole enough to hesitate, it didn't for Tessa, who was instantly upon the being, grabbing his arms and flipping the person over.

The two wings coming off this person's back moved to hit Tessa off, but she avoided the attack, stepping on the ends of them with her boots.

The person yelped at the sensation, and turned into the light coming from their phones.

It was only then that they realized it was a young child- well, not so much as a child. More like a young teenager who was just tall. The baby face gave away how young he was unlike his height.

"A boy?" K.R mumbles quietly.

Tessa moved to glance at his face, almost giving him a chance to escape from the loose grip, but she quickly regained control.

Holding one of his arms behind his back, the boy winced at the painful sensation, his wings shifting to try and accommodate the pain.

The blood oozing down his other arm, which hung limply to his side, had Nicole's stomach flipping, "You're hurt." she says.

He hisses at her, blood staining his teeth. One was missing in the back. Looked like it had been knocked out recently- better hope that was a baby tooth kid.

"A kid… It's a kid." Jake shakes his head, "Oh jeez. A-Are you okay? W-We can help you." Jake held out his hand. The boy swung his injured arm out at him, snagging Jake on the forearm. With a yell of pain, from both of them, Jake fell back, cradling it. Three deep scratches ran on the back of his arm from his elbow to his wrist.

Nicole was quick to crawl to him, yanking off her coat to help stop the bleeding.

"Hey!" Tessa tightened her grip, putting enough weight on him to have his chin hitting the ground. The boy gagged, kicking a bit in hopes of getting away.

"You okay, Jake?" Nicole asks carefully.

"I'm… it is fine. I've gotten worse." He insists. Nicole nods a bit, tightening the cloth around the arm. It wasn't too bad and could be solved with some bandages. The boy on the other hand…

"K.R. Get a first aid kit. Tell Arinna to get the painkillers and disinfectants too, she knows where those are." Nicole whispers to him. His ears flick at her.

"Is it that bad?" he glances at Jake, concerned.

"I'm not talking about Jake." her gaze is on the boy Tessa was currently pinning to the floor. "That injury- if we don't do something about it, he'll die of blood loss."

Startled to hear such news, K.R nodded and ran off.

Waiting until he left, Nicole looked back to the situation she was thrown into. "Geez…" she scratched the back of her head. "What is your name kid?" she asked him.

He only growled at her, his feathers bristling on his wings. Wings.

How bizarre was that? To just have wings and try to do things with them? How does this kid fit through doors?

"Is Grr grr your name?" Nicole joked. The teenager didn't find it funny. The rest of the time until K.R returned was spent having quiet conversations between Nicole and Jake- asking if his arm hurt, talking about how it might scar, and giggling at the question if a boy with wings was better to find than a ghost or not.

Neither or them knew the answer.

When K.R returned with the bag, there was a note attached to it.

"A boy with wings?! Are you serious!? I should have gone down with you! It is an angel I say! An angel! I want to meet him when this is all over! Make sure Tessa washes her hands- blood pathogens and such. Stay safe and do your thing Ms. Doctor."

Chuckling at the letter, she put it aside and opened the bag. She could tell the boy was eyeing the contents, kicking his legs a little harder when he noticed the syringes and scissors.

"Okay. Let's just calm down." she held out her hands. The boy shot a glare at her. "You don't like me. I don't like you. That is fair." she started to inch forward, "We have to do something about that injury." The wing slapped her in the face.

It didn't hurt, but she swears she thought she heard Jake snort.

"Okay. Very funny." she pushes it over, "Seriously kid, chill. We want to help."  
He makes a scoffing sound.

"Yeah. Yeah we do." she nods at him. "Shocker there, but the cat thing with her talking feline brother, the spider-phob, and the beautiful mechanic want to aid the strange bird kid."

"What is a phob?" Jake mumbles quietly.

"Phobia." Nicole answers. The boy seems almost unreasonable, kicking his legs with a raging ferocity, enough to almost make Tessa lose her grip. To compensate, she dug her knee between his wings.

The boy cried out a bit in pain, looking ready to bit at her fingers.

Nicole was furious just watching, unable to take the insanity that fate often pulls her in to.

"Hey!" she hit the kid hard enough to startle and momentarily daze him, "Shut up and listen short stuff. I don't care that you don't trust us. After this, you can leave and we won't follow. In fact, I would really prefer that you just left our lives and not bring any more trouble into our world- because we got enough of that. What I won't stand for though is letting some kid who has barely entered his life as a teenager die on my watch. Is that what you want? To die in some dark room with strangers? Doesn't sound like a great way to go, does it? So you can either zip the lip and cooperate, or our friend here knocks you out cold and you have no say what so ever in what is about to happen." she motions to Tessa, who's eyes are shinning with an unspoken threat to the mutant below her.

Going still, his chest heaving, the boy lowers his wings, "..." he presses his forehead to the ground, as if in thought. After a short time, he looks up.

With something Nicole could only describe as a torn look, the kid reluctantly goes limp under Tessa's grip, then nods.

They had a deal.

"Let him go Tessa." Nicole tells her, already putting on two rubber gloves. Tessa steps away a second later, ready to spring the moment something seemed off to her.

"I'm watching you." she points to the kid, who rubs at his soar neck. Shrinking when Nicole approached him, he watched her cautiously, never once letting her leave his sight as she shuffled around him.

She glanced at him, holding her hands up in a motion of peace before she lowered them to his shirt. He tensed, but didn't attack. Taking that as the okay, she got to work.

Tearing a bit of his shirt away, hoping not to rub against the gash in any way, she felt her heart sink. It was worse than she first realized. The gash wasn't just on his arm, it ran up to his shoulder, inches away from slicing at his wings. She couldn't even imagine what had done this to him.

Tessa looks a little pale, her hands trembling slightly as she handed Nicole the tools. Nicole can't say her worry wasn't justified. Couple years at med school, which she still hasn't graduated from by the way, couldn't have prepared her for a mutant bird kid being so severely injured.

She could only hope that besides the wing and slight feathers on his skin here and there, that this kind relatively had the same anatomy as any human.

For now, she just had to stop the bleeding, disinfect the gash, and patch it up before this kid went unconscious. There were other scratches and bruises covering his frame, but none of them were severe as the shoulder.

Putting her focus on that, she pressed a pad to the wound, adding as much pressure as she could. The boy winced, glancing at her. "Gotta stop the bleeding." she told him for the billionth time that day.

Keeping the pad going for a little while, she glanced to Tessa, "Can you help me?" she asks.

She straightens, "W-With what?"

"Keep the pressure on this pad." she tells her calmly. "Can you do that?'

Tessa nods numbly, quickly moving into Nicole's place and bracing her hands on the bad, watching as Nicole reached into the first aid kid, pulling out a needle. She placed it into a jar, extracting out some clear liquid into the needle.

"What is that?" Tessa inquired, her mouth dry. This whole situation felt horribly familiar.

"Morphine."

No one but Jake seemed to fully know what that was.

The mutant bird kid, just from seeing the needle alone, had began to squirm, "It is a pain killer." Nicole explains.

"I don't need it."

"Oh." Nicole is startled, "So it speaks."

"I don't need it." he repeats.

"Kid, I'm about to sew your shoulder back together. It will be excruciating."

He hesitated, "I don't-"  
'You need it." she insists. With that, she took his arm. He almost reeled back, but Nicole grabbed his other shoulder, holding him still. "Hey… It is okay." She had seen patients with wounds like his. All from car crashes or other injuries. All them were scared and frightened, but none of them had been children. Waiting until he stilled, she grabbed his arm again, taking the time to find a nail and place a little on the spot to numb it before she injected it into his system.

Breathing heavily, he relaxed a little, allowing them to wait a few minutes for it to fully kick in.

* * *

**000- Agatha-000**

Agatha had stepped away from her phone for a single hour to take care of an errand. Many things had come up these last couple months- all which were putting a strain on her patience.  
However, one could now be tossed aside and forgotten. All she wanted to do now was head home and take a bath. Maybe see if Joel stopped by at all and left her something?  
She paused, sighing. She sure did miss him.  
Reaching her palm up to rub her tired eyes, she pulled out her phone. Turning it back on, not wanting to be rude if it buzzed or went off during the meeting she was just in, she frowned when the notifications appeared.  
A few texts, a notification that it was time to harvest her berries in her farming game, and… 15 calls from Nicole? What in the world did that silly girl want?  
Sighing, she went to her voicemail, listening quietly as she got on the nearest bus.

"_Hey Agatha, It be Nicole_~" The cheeky red head says, "_Jake is hassling me about some spider problem or whatever in his room. Think the guy has a phobia or what not to them, so I told him I'd get bug killer. You weren't in so I took the keys to the storerooms to get it_-" There was a pause and Agatha could only assume Nicole was talking to Jake when she said, "_No you can't have 3 whole bottles of the stuff. 1 bottle will last you months Jake. Yes I am sure._' the message ended at that, with no real indication that Nicole was done talking.  
A year ago, Agatha would have felt nervous if someone told her they were headed down to the storerooms. The chance of them seeing Joel was too great and she couldn't risk it. So she made up all these odd rumors about the place to get the residence to keep their distance.  
Joel lived elsewhere now though, so the fear of him being seen had left with him.

Grumbling, Agatha skimmed the voicemail. She really did not want to listen to all of these. With nothing else to do however, she listened to the next one.  
"_Hey Agatha, it is Nicole again. You know I hate you bother you, but Jake really wants that bottle. We are in the storeroom, but I just can't figure out which box you put it in. Is it a blue bottle or a red one? Anyway_-" There is a small pause, _"Jake, I'm leaving a message. What do you want_-?" There is the sound of shuffling, as if Nicole lost her grip on the phone, but it goes quiet. "..._Gotta go_." Nicole hangs up suddenly.

Finding the situation odd she instantly clicked to the other one. She felt her heart jump out of her chest when the first thing she heard was Nicole's frantic screams, _"Agatha! Agatha_!" the younger red head cursed, "_Pick up your phone! Come on! Something just happened!_" she was gasping for breath, sounding frightening, _"The storeroom. Storeroom 2._" Agatha can barely understand her through her gasping,_ "There was something in the storerooms! And blood! Where are you?! Call me back_!"  
Most of the messages followed in similar lines after that. Blood. Storeroom 2. Something in there that scared Jake and Nicole enough to call her.  
It had Agatha gripping at the side of the Bus seat. It couldn't be…

The final message had her rising to her feet in a rush of panic, her heart shooting into over drive when Nicole mentioned something about 'Blue feathers on the ground'.  
The bus ride suddenly feeling too long she hit the button and got off, pushing and shoving through the citizens of New York to get to her apartment complex.  
It couldn't be him. He left!  
But he came back sometimes. If it was him, why was there blood? Was he hurt?!  
Agatha couldn't think straight enough to make rational solutions for this. The only thing on her mind was, "Have to get back. Must check. Have to go faster."

* * *

**00000- Nicole-0000**

The kid was on cloud 9 by the time Nicole finished disinfecting the wound. On multiple occasions she had to stop him from falling back into her. He would stare at his fingers curiously, opening and closing them before giggling.

"...So drugging him was supposed to help?' K.R inquires after staring at the boys behavior for a bit.

"He doesn't feel any pain right now, so yes." Nicole nods, "Yes it does."

Grabbing the needle and examined the tip of it before moving for the boy's shoulder. It was time to get to work.  
"…"

Nicole paused, her hand hovering about the swollen and red skin. Jake was concerned, "You okay?"

She had practiced suturing for a while now- from bananas, to dummies, to assisting a doctor do it themselves, but how could she admit this would be the first person she actually did it to?

"Just-" she gulped, "Feeling a little nervous." she gulps.

"...You've done this before, right?" K.R cringes. Nicole stares at him, not answering. He looks very concerned by that.

"I'll be fine…" she says quietly. She hoped it would be fine. With that oh so confident thought in mind, she started the first stitch. It was almost sickening feeling the needle pierce the boy's skin. She half expected him to scream or flinch, but when he didn't, she sighed in relief. "I'm good." She says to Jake again, continuing with the rest.

Suturing the last stitch together, she cut the string and tied it off. It was done, and it looked awesome. "Whoop!" Nicole pumped her fist.

And then someone slide into the room that she hadn't expected to.

It was Agatha.

Her eyes were wild with an almost predator locking system, her gaze flaring the moment she got there.

Nicole had never felt so terrified in her life at the look Agatha was giving them. She was really going to kill them this time. But before the death could arrive, Agatha saw the bird kid.

Oh great. Here we go-

"Joel." Agatha covered her mouth in horror.

"...I'm sorry, what?" Nicole could barely believe herself. Did Agatha know this kid?! Was this kid Joel? Who in the world even is Joel?!

Agatha shoved them out of the way, bringing the boy into her arms. The embrace was warm and loving. Without a fight the mutant melted right into it- though you could blame the morphine for that one. "Joel." She held him close.

"Hey~" he giggles a slur. "Hey you~" his drugged mind wouldn't allow him to fully process everything around him, so he just giggled.

"Wait- What?! What is going on?!" Joel and Nicole demanded.

* * *

**000- Later—000**

Through some odd means and little to no conversation or indication to what was happening, they ended up in Agatha's apartment an hour later with everyone present. And when Nicole says everyone, she means _Everyone. _

LeatherHead was in the room! He was just there! Nicole couldn't even explain why he was there, he just got there. Everything was such a blur and Agatha's cold stare was enough to give someone amnesia just to forget it.

For the moment, all focus seemed to be on the bird kid- or, Joel, was his name. He was out of danger for now, and just needed rest as far as Nicole could tell. They would need to keep an eye on that wound and be sure it didn't get infected, but for now they could rest easy.

So Nicole could only sit there in Agatha oddly well enforced kitchen that she had no doubt held rows upon rows of hidden weapons.

When they settled Joel down to rest, Agatha trudged into the kitchen, exhausted and looking ready to get straight to the point. Realizing everyone was staring at her, she straightened. "You probably have questions."

Jake nods, "Yeah… A lot of them."

"A whole lot of them." Arinna agrees.

"Can we wait a little bit before we get into that?" Nicole slowly raises her hand. Everyone is surprised to hear her request.

"Are you okay?" Arinna inquires, worried.

"I'm tired." she is trembling, "And I'd like to go wash my hands." the red stain on her hands was still there.

Agatha stares at her, an understanding and almost pitying look on her face as she motions to her bathroom. Nicole steps in and closes the door a second later, not uttering a word.

"Will she be okay?" Jake whispered softly.

Arinna could only imagine how Nicole felt by all of this. The situation, even the boy's life, was riding on her shoulders. Unable to call an ambulance, or experienced doctors, she was left to her own wit and supplies. She must have been terrified.

Nicole was tough, Arinna was sure she could push past this in no time, but it couldn't have been easy.

After 30 minutes, a very long time to simply wash her hands, Nicole stepped out, her hair drenched and body clean. She must have taken a shower, since she was wearing one of Agatha's shirts. "Borrowed this." she told her simply.

"That is fine." Agatha agreed.

Sitting down, Nicole sighed, "Okay. Alright… So." She clears her throat, "Got a bird kid, huh?"

Agatha looks almost ready to chuckle at Nicole's blunt and almost funny comment, "In short, yet."

Arinna looks ready to flip the table, "That's it? Just, he is yours? That is all? You've been keeping this big all secret and all you do is nod?"

"Landlords shouldn't keep secrets Agatha." Nicole teased, honestly not feeling shocked with any of this. With how things go, she should just assume everyone she knows has some connection to a ninja, mutant, or other strange person. She wouldn't be surprised if she met an Alien one day.

…Did she just jinx herself?

"Well it isn't as though I'm the only one that has done that." Agatha gives Nicole this look. A look that translates into, "_You could never hide things from me."_

Nicole almost fell out of her chair, "You knew." she accused her, "You knew about Leather Head, and Elizabeth, and Picasso- everything! You knew all along!" She thought it was odd that Agatha wasn't even saying anything about them.  
"No way." Arinna covers her mouth.

"A manager knows everything that goes on in her building." Agatha stated simply, "Did you really think I wouldn't have found out eventually?"

"Well I mean- I figured you would! When did you find out?" Nicole demanded.

"When you brought your Alligator friend home. Leather head was it?" Agatha asked him.

He nodded sheepishly, "H-How do you do?"

"That still does not explain how you learned of his existence." Michelle admits.

"Cameras my dear. There is one in every hall." Agatha took a sip of her tea.

...Nicole slammed her head against the table. Of course, the cameras. How could she have not thought of those earlier?

Anyone could figure out their secret and all they had to do was go through the security footage.

"But how did you figure out about Elizabeth?" Jake continued to question her. "Or Tessa and K.R?"

"I admit, the two of you threw me off. I hadn't learned you were here yet." she pointed to Tessa and K.R, who lowered their heads. "I figured something along the lines occurred after that incident with the fight. You two bicker, but you never fight like that." she looked back at Nicole and Michelle. "As for Elizabeth-" she smiled at her, "Dear child, try as you may, I've seen how you can move at times. You are quick, agile- as if you were raised to be so. Plus, I was worried so I hacked into the street cameras a few nights about you two were attacked by those masked hooligans."

"The Foot." Elizabeth corrects her.

"Yes, them."

"I can't believe it-" Nicole slumps into a chair, "All this worry about you finding out, and you already knew. Endless stress for nothing." She almost sounds relieved for the secret to finally be out there.

"So you…" Jake licks his lips, "You aren't mad?"

"I wouldn't say I agree with your choices on keeping secrets, but having one similar, I understand." Agatha admits, glancing at the door behind her where Joel was resting. "I owe you a debt for saving my boy." Agatha bowed her head in gratitude.

"About that-" Michelle speaks up, "Agatha, you told me that you never had any children of your own, and you certainly do not have wings. How is it that Joel is your child? Why did you never mention him before?"

Agatha sighed sadly, "Well, I suppose there is no harm in telling you at this point. Joel isn't my biological son, I adopted him at a young age after his mother passed away. He had nowhere to go, and had his wings since he was born. His birth mother was just like him." she pauses, "To this day I do not know how his family came to posse wings. Was it evolution? Or did his Mother come into contact with something earlier that affected both of their DNA? The answer always alludes me."

"Amazing, and you've raised him in secret?" K.R inquired.

"I had to. I doubt anyone would have accepted him otherwise."

"So you kept him in the Storeroom." Nicole concluded, "Can I assume it was you that started the rumors?"

Agatha only smiled slyly, "He left the Store Rooms a few months ago, having found a home out to the country a bit more. He was safe there, and while he is young, he can manage himself through his ability to hunt and survive in the wild. I suppose it is instinct. He would come back from time to time to see me, but overall the safest place was the country." She lowers her head, her gaze fogging over slightly in silent rage, "I thought it was safer there. I had no idea- who could have hurt him like that?" her grip tightened on the cup, "Did he say anything to you about his attackers?"

"We didn't exactly exchange pleasantries for too long." Nicole says.

"He barely spoke a word. Didn't trust us." Jake adds in

Agatha glanced away, "No surprise there. He has never been a very trusting fellow to strangers- can't say I blame him with the circumstances of how I found him."

"Where did you find him" Nicole inquires.

"On a mission."  
Nicole snorts, "Oh so very specific."

"I have to keep some secrecy to myself, don't I?" Agatha smirked. Nicole grumbled at her.

Arinna on the other hand raised her voice and said, "Do you think it was poachers who attacked him? Maybe a hunter or some campers who just got spooked?"

Agatha wasn't sure, "What would you say Nicole? You got a better look at the wound?"

"Didn't really seem like a gun." Nicole says, "They were long and jagged, definitely a knife or something along those lines. Had to be at close contact too." She paused, "If I had to take a guess, I would say they were trying to get his wings- maybe stop him from getting away."

"That is horrible." Michelle covered her mouth.

"People are horrible sometimes." Jake says quietly.

"I guess we won't really know who did it though until he wakes up." K.R points out.

Agatha nodded, "This secret- you can tell no one about him." She was referring to Joel.

"With all due respect Agatha, have you seen everyone in this room? Telling everyone about Joel is that last thing on our mind." Arinna chuckled.

Suddenly Elizabeth burst forward, unable to stop herself from asking, "Can Joel fly with his wings? How fast can he fly? Is he an Angel? Arinna says he's got to be with wings!"

Agatha chuckled at the young girl's spirit, "Yes, he can fly." She assures her. "And at an incredible speed indeed."

Agatha suddenly stopped talking and turned her head. As if she heard something, she got up and ran to Joel's room. The others quickly followed her, shuffling into the room.

Joel was awake within and blinking up at the ceiling. How Agatha had heard that he was awake they would never know.

"Joel." She was at his side a second later. "Joel, it is me."  
His gaze slowly moved to her, and he blinked, "…Hey there." He wiggled his fingers a bit to wave at her. She smiled. "Where am I?"  
"My house." She tells him.

"How did I- there were others… A loud red head.' He grumbles, closing his eyes like his head was starting to hurt.

"Watch it Punk." Nicole grumbles. He stiffens at the sound of her voice, realizing Agatha wasn't the only one in the room. Craning his neck to see her, his eyes widened.

"You-" he moved to sit up, only to wince and fall back onto the bed.

"Don't move around too much." Agatha instructs, 'You could reopen your wound. This is Nicole and her friends, they will bring you no harm."  
Joel looks hesitant to believe her and scans his eyes over everyone. He recognized Jake, Tessa, Nicole and K.R, and held no shock for them- but it was expected for him to pause when he saw LeatherHead. "….Alligator." he points to him.

"Hello." Leather Head waves. He startles Joel enough to have him flail his arm.

"It talks!"

"You are a boy with wings and a talking Alligator surprises you?" Michelle chuckles.

"He- but-" Joel stammers.

"It is surprising." K.R nods.

"The cat talks!" Joel gasps.

"How did you not realize that already?!" Nicole demanded.

"I was busy!" he yells back.

"Don't be cheeky at me kid!" Nicole threatens.

"Bring it!" he yells back.

"Joel." Agatha calms him, "Let's calm down and focus. They are all friends here. This is Nicole. Arinna, Michelle, Elizabeth, Leather Head, Tessa, Jake, and K.R."

Joel looked uncomfortable to meet so many people at once and waved shyly, "Uh… hi?"

"Hello, Mr. Angel!" Elizabeth giggled.

Joel looked flustered, "I-I'm not an Angel." He said.

"But you got wings." She points to them, "Angels have wings."

Joel blinked once, than twice, before looking away from her sparkling gaze, "Uh…" he sniffs a bit, "Okay then?" he tries to play it off but is failing.

"Joel." He looks back at them when Agatha speaks up, "Who did this to you?" she asked him curtly, anger boiling behind her eyes. She was itching to get out and find the men responsible for this.

Blinking wearilly at her, he slowly moved his arm. The motion was stiff and slow, as if he had been frozen in time for decades and was only just able to move again.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled something black out of it's contents. "I don't know…" he admits quietly, handing her the object, "But they were wearing this."

Nicole didn't have to get a good look to recognize it instantly, "The Foot." she growls.

"Those men who attacked Elizabeth and you before?" Agatha questions her, scanning the mask for any detail or clue.

"It's gotta be- Right Elizabeth?" Nicole glanced down at her. The child looked pale at the sight of the mask and nodded.

"It's them." she concluded.

"These _Foot, _they are bad men, yes?" Tessa inquires.

"The worst." Elizabeth nods.

"What in the world were they doing out of New York?" Arinna questioned.

"What were they doing in New York to begin with?" Jake adds, "They spell Bad News."

"And share some odd attraction to the bizarre like ourselves." Michelle folds her arms. "First Elizabeth, then Joel?"

"How did they even know about him?" Tessa inquires, "I mean, he doesn't go anywhere but his little hideout and to see you, right?"

Agatha nodded, "Perhaps… perhaps they saw him on his trips from here to there. They could have followed him."

"I- I tried to stay out of sight." Joel insisted, "I know I did! I don't know how they found me." He was giving Agatha a wide and desperate stare. She reached her hand down to pat the top of his head to calm to nerves.

"You are not to blame for this Joel." She tells him. He gulps and nods, shifting to his side a bit and into hers, clutching the end of her shirt. Arinna thought the scene was touching and adorable.

"Either way, I am glad you are okay Joel. It is nice to meet you." She smiled. He glanced at her, only able to give a small nod.

"Oh- this is so grand. Another mutant, at least I think that is what you are. Either way, I am sure Picasso will be excited to-" she trailed off. She glanced at her feet, then around the room. She then went pale, "Picasso?" she asks.

Her friends, and those aware of how easily Picasso tended to run off, started to panic, "Picasso?"

"He is loose!" Jake yelled.

"You lost him again?!" Nicole demanded.

"Ahh! AHHH!" Arinna began to scream, "I'm the worst parent ever!" she ran out into the hall, the others on her heel. "Picasso! Picasso! PiPi-Picassoooooooo. Picapooo."

"Don't call him that, it is the worst nickname ever." Nicole points to her.

Agatha and Joel can only watch in awe as this strange family turns their house inside out in search of their infant mutant turtle.

"…We can trust them?" Joel looks up at his mother figure.

Agatha can't answer for a while, "…Yes."

"You hesitated." He pointed at her.

"I did no such thing."  
'Yes you did." He argues.

"Nope."  
"Yeah!"

"I did not."

'You did!"

* * *

**YEAH! And I"M DONEEEEE with this chapter! :D **

**I had to get Agatha's little secret out there before we reach that time jump chapter. It would make everyone's life easier honestly. **

**And Yeah, **

**Joel belongs to ErinHasse**

**Oooh, The Foot are on the move again? What are they up to? Why are they hunting/gathering mutants? What is their plan!?**


End file.
